Bangladesh’s supreme court has cleared the way for the execution of an opposition leader convicted of war crimes when it rejected a last-minute appeal filed by his lawyers.
The execution of Abdul Quader Mollah, which had been on hold since Tuesday night just before he was to be put to death, is likely to usher in a new wave of political violence before national elections next month. His party, Jamaat-e-Islami, an ally of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist party, has warned of “dire consequences” if he is executed.
The attorney general, Mahbubey Alam, said the government would now decide the date for the execution. “There are no more barriers to execute Quader Mollah. There is no chance of any confusion,” he said on Thursday.
Mollah, 65, was convicted of war crimes committed during the nation’s war of independence against Pakistan in 1971.