A prominent member of the nation’s largest right-wing party, who had been on death row since being condemned under the administration that was overthrown last year, had his conviction reversed by Bangladesh’s top court on Tuesday.
The Supreme Court acquitted A.T.M. Azharul Islam, a member of the Jamaat-e-Islami party who had been detained since 2012, of crimes against humanity and ordered his release.
Islam, who was born in 1952, was one of six prominent political figures found guilty during Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year autocratic era as prime minister, which came to an end in August 2024 when she was forced to leave by a student-led uprising.
The interim administration has promised that the much-anticipated elections will take place by June 2026 at the latest, and political parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, are preparing for them.
