The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh on Thursday acquitted a war crimes convict, overturning a verdict of International Crimes Tribunal-1 that had sentenced him to imprisonment until death.

A five-member bench led by Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury allowed the appeal filed by Khan Akram Hossain, challenging the ICT-1 judgment delivered on August 11, 2015.

The tribunal had found Akram guilty of one charge of crimes against humanity committed in Bagerhat during the 1971 Liberation War and sentenced him to jail until death. He was acquitted of the remaining two charges.

Akram was among three alleged members of the Razakar force in Bagerhat tried by ICT-1. The other two accused were Sheikh Sirajul Haque, also known as Siraj Master, and Abdul Latif Talukder.

In its 2015 verdict, ICT-1 found Siraj Master guilty on five of the six charges against him, including two counts of genocide and three counts of crimes against humanity. He was sentenced to death on each of the five charges.

Proceedings against Abdul Latif Talukder were abated after he died while undergoing treatment at a Dhaka hospital.

Police arrested Latif on June 11, 2014, following warrants issued by the tribunal against Latif, Sirajul and Akram over crimes committed during the Liberation War.

On November 5, 2014, ICT-1 indicted the three on seven charges. Four charges were brought against Sirajul alone, two jointly against all three for the killing of 47 people, and one jointly against Akram and Latif for the killing of another person.

Earlier, the Appellate Division acquitted Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam of war crimes charges on May 25 after hearing his review petition. He was later elected as a lawmaker from a Rangpur constituency in the February 12, 2026 general election.

The court also acquitted death-row convict Mobarak Hossain on July 30, 2025, following an appeal.