Dhaka, February 26 – The Supreme Court of Bangladesh acquitted Khan Akram Hossain, a war crimes convict from Bagerhat district, on Thursday, overturning his life sentence in a case related to crimes against humanity during the country's 1971 Liberation War, local media reported.
A bench led by Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury issued the verdict after hearing Akram's appeal challenging the judgment of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) delivered on August 11, 2015.
Akram was one of the three alleged members of the Razakar force – a pro-Pakistani paramilitary group formed in 1971 in Bagerhat – who were on trial before the ICT. The other two accused were Sheikh Sirajul Haque, also known as Siraj Master, and Abdul Latif Talukder, according to Bangladeshi media outlet bdnews24.
In August 2015, the ICT had sentenced Akram to life imprisonment, while the co-accused, Razakar leader Sheikh Sirajul Haque, also known as "Siraj Master", was given the death penalty for crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.
Akram was reportedly found guilty of detaining and torturing freedom fighter Fazlur Rahman Sikder in Morrelganj Upazila in Bagerhat, which resulted in his death.
Another accused, Abdul Latif Talukdar, a member of the Razakar, was also indicted, along with the other two, but died of age-related illnesses during the trial and was subsequently removed from the case.
Following his conviction, Akram filed an appeal with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court challenging the life sentence.
This latest development is another instance when a war crimes convict from 1971 has been acquitted through a review petition since the fall of the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government in August 2024 in a violent mass uprising.
Earlier in May 2025, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh acquitted Jamaat-e-Islami's radical leader, ATM Azharul Islam, after overturning his death sentence given by the ICT. He was subsequently released after spending nearly 13 years in prison for war crimes.
Azharul Islam was charged with crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War.
The chargesheet stated that the radical Islamist party leader was responsible for the killing of 1256 people, the abduction of 17, and the rape of 13 women during the Liberation War in the Rangpur region, local media reported.
Jamaat leader Azharul Islam was also elected as a member of Parliament from Rangpur-2 constituency in the February 12 elections.
Experts have repeatedly warned that the acquittal of 1971 war crimes convicts by Bangladeshi courts may set a dangerous precedent of leniency towards pro-Pakistani forces, while undermining the principles of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War and the nation’s hard-won independence.