Convicted War Criminal Delwar Hossain Sayeedi Passes Away While Under Treatment
Renowned Jamaat-e-Islami leader, Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, who had been serving a life sentence for his involvement in heinous crimes during the Liberation War, passed away today at 8:40 pm, as confirmed by medical authorities at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU). The Vice-Chancellor of BSMMU, Md Sharfuddin Ahmed, stated that an official declaration of his demise will be forthcoming.
Sayeedi had been undergoing treatment at the BSMMU after suffering a cardiac arrest. His health had deteriorated since his initial imprisonment, and his condition worsened when he complained of severe chest pain on Sunday. He was promptly taken from Kashimpur Central Jail to Shahabuddin Medical College in Dhaka, and due to the severity of his condition, he was subsequently referred to the BSMMU for specialized medical care.
Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, who once represented the Pirojpur-1 constituency in the Barisal region as a member of parliament from 1996 to 2006, was arrested in 2010 on charges of causing offense to religious sentiments. Subsequently, on 2 August of the same year, he was apprehended for his alleged involvement in crimes against humanity.
Following a thorough legal process, Sayeedi was found guilty of eight out of twenty alleged charges related to the Liberation War and was sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh in February 2013. The charges against him encompassed grave offenses such as divulging confidential information to the Pakistani Army, rape, arson, and looting.
The pronouncement of his death sentence led to a tumultuous turn of events. Jamaat-e-Islami called for a strike, which escalated into violence and resulted in the tragic loss of over 50 lives. In a subsequent legal development, his death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by the Supreme Court in September 2014. However, on 17 February 2018, he was once again sentenced to death by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court for his crimes against humanity during the Liberation War.
Delwar Hossain Sayeedi’s passing marks the conclusion of a deeply contentious and protracted legal saga that has held the nation’s attention for years. It underscores the complex interplay between justice, historical reckoning, and the wounds of a nation still healing from its past.
