Commute Nizami\\\'s death penalty: EU

The European Union has called on the Bangladeshi authorities to commute the death sentence of Jamaat-e-Islami chief Matiur Rahman Nizami, reiterating its position against the capital punishment. Its delegation in Dhaka urged the government to introduce a moratorium on executions as a 1st step towards definitive abolition of capital punishment. In a statement following the International Crimes Tribunal-1’s verdict on Wednesday, the EU, which globally campaigns against death penalty, has reiterated its opposition to the use of capital punishment in any circumstances. The war crimes tribunal found Nizami guilty of war crimes including the execution of intellectuals during Bangladesh’s independence struggles in 1971. The EU said they had followed the judicial proceedings in Bangladesh concerning the crimes committed during the liberation war in 1971. ‘From the start of the trials, the EU delegation has repeatedly stressed its concern about the possible application of the death penalty under the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act. ‘The case of Matiur Rahman Nizami has now reached a stage where an execution of the death sentence constitutes a serious threat,’ it said. ‘Despite Nizami’s right to appeal, the EU delegation to Bangladesh reiterates its principal position against the death penalty’, according to bdnews24.com.