# ATM Azharul Islam

ATM Azharul Islam is a Bangladeshi politician and who served as the acting Secretary General of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. He is held with charges of involvement in crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War.
Born in Lohanipara village in Badarganj Upazila, Rangpur District, He is accused of leading the Al-Badr militia, which collaborated with the Pakistani military during the war. He is alleged to have orchestrated the Jharuarbeel massacre in April 1971, where 1,200 civilians were killed.

## Career

Islam served as the Rangpur commander of the Al-Badr during the Bangladesh Liberation War. The Al-Badr was a paramilitary unit that worked under the Pakistan Army during the war.
Islam contested the General Election June 1996 as a candidate of Jamaat-e-Islami from Rangpur-2. He received 8,273, third highest share, while the winning candidate Hussain Muhammad Ershad of the Jatiya Party received 66,929 votes.
Islam was the candidate of Jamaat-e-Islami for Rangpur-2 in the General Election 2001. He came third with 17,788 votes while the winning candidate, Mohammad Ali Sarkar of the Islami Jatiya Oikya Front, 91,921 votes.
Islam contested elections from the Rangpur-2 constituency (Taraganj and Badarganj) in General Election 2008. He came second with 36,586 votes while the winning candidate, Anisul Islam Mondal of the Jatiya Party received 166,271 votes.
In 2010, following the arrest of Jamaat-e-Islami leaders on war crimes charges, Islam stated "We are observing the situation. The legal battle to free our leaders will continue along with a peaceful movement". Some leaders described the arrests as a moment of crisis for the party.
In January 2011, Islam announced Jamaat-e-Islami was fielding 39 mayoral candidates who will contest elections against their alley the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. In February, as Acting Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami, Islam announced a series of strikes protesting government policies. In June 2011, Islam called a joint 3 hour strike with Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir protesting a recommendation by the parliamentary special committee on constitutional amendment to remove the neutral caretaker government system. He was one of the accused in a sedition case filed over comments on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Home Minister by Rezaul Karim, former president of Islami Chhatra Shibir. He protested comments by Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh who called Jamaat-e-Islami anti-Indian and partner of Inter-Services Intelligence, Pakistan's intelligence agency. He was detained on 20 September 2011 after violent protests by Jamaat-e-Islami activists over not being allowed to hold a rally demanding the release of its leaders. The protests left 200 people injured, 28 cars burned down, 200 cars were vandalized along with roadside shops, and disrupted traffic throughout Dhaka. The police filed a case against the party activists, including Ameer Mohammad Shafiqur Rahman, for assaulting police officers during the protest.

### War crimes trial

On August 22, 2012, Islam was arrested in Moghbazar. The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) filed five charges against him, including genocide, murder, and abduction. He was serving as the assistant general secretary of the Jamaat-e-Islami. His prosecutor at the trial was Nurjahan Begum Mukta. His defence team was composed of senior counsel Abdur Razzaq, Mohammad Shishir Manir, and Imran Siddique. A women testified that he was involved in the rape of a pregnant woman for 19 days at the Rangpur Town Hall during the Bangladesh Liberation War.
In December 2014, he was sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal for his involvement in war crimes during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. He was found involved in the Jharuarbeel massacre in which more than 1200 civilians Hindus, were murdered, rape of a pregnant woman at Rangpur Town Hall, the torture of a Mukti Bahini member and his brother at an Al-Badr camp. He was found innocent in the charge of killing 10 people at Rangpur as the prosecution failed to prove the charge. The three member tribunal was led by Justice M Enayetur Rahim and included Justice Jahangir Hossain and Justice Anwarul Haque. His reaction after the verdict was, "... Allah will try you, Insha'Allah". Jamaat-e-Islami called for a two day strike(hartal) following the verdict.
Islam's defense argued that the charges were politically motivated, but his appeals were rejected by the Supreme Court of Bangladesh in 2019. The Appellate Division bench was led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain. Islam's principal lawyer at the appeal was Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, a Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician. Amnesty International and other human rights groups have raised concerns about the fairness of his trial, citing irregularities in the proceedings.
Following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina led Awami League government, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman demanded Islam be released the party registration with the Election Commission be restored. The Party staged protests in Gazipur District demanding his release.