Bangladesh
Hasina Assassination Attempt Death reference of 14 militants in conspiracy case to assassinate Sheikh Hasina in High Court
Dhaka, April 6: The death reference of 14 militants convicted of plotting to assassinate Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by planting a bomb at a public meeting place in Gopalganj's Kotalipara has come to the High Court. Barrister Saifur Rahman, special officer of the Supreme Court, said this on Tuesday (April 6).
Earlier on Monday (April 5), it was learned that a death reference had come to the concerned branch of the High Court.
In March, Dhaka's Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 sentenced 14 militants to death for plotting to assassinate Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by planting a bomb at a public meeting place in Kotalipara, Gopalganj. Judge Abu Jafar Md Kamruzzaman of Dhaka's Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 pronounced the verdict.
The 14 convicts sentenced to death are Mofizur Rahman, Mahmud Azhar, Rasheduzzaman, Tareq, Wadud Sheikh alias Gazi Khan, Azizul Haque, Lokman, Yusuf alias Moshab Moral, Moshab Hasan alias Rashu, Sheikh Md Enamul Haque, Anisul Islam, Sarwar Hossain, Amirul. And Rafiqul Islam Khan.
A total of three cases were registered in this incident. Judgments in two of the cases were already in the court. The other case was decided on the same day.
On July 22, 2000, a powerful bomb was found on the premises of Sheikh Lutfar Rahman Government Adarsh College in Kotalipara, Gopalganj, while Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was making a public meeting pandal. An army team recovered the bomb weighing 76 kilograms. The next day, on July 23, another bomb weighing 40 kg was recovered.
The police filed three cases under the Attempted Assassination, Conspiracy to Kill and Explosives Control Act against the terrorists, for planning to assassinate Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, at Kotalipara Police Station.
The trial court ruled on August 20, 2017 in the case of attempted murder and explosives control act. The court sentenced 10 militants to death and 13 others to various terms of imprisonment. All the convicts are leaders and activists of the banned militant group Harkatul Jihad Al Islami Bangladesh (HUJI-B).
An appeal has also been passed in the attempted murder case. The High Court upheld the death sentence of 10 militants in a verdict announced on February 17. One convict sentenced to life imprisonment and two convicts sentenced to 14 years have also been upheld. Another convict sentenced to 14 years has been acquitted by the high court.
On the other hand, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police filed a chargesheet in the court on November 15, 2001 in a murder case. In 2004, the court framed charges against 14 accused. Of the 50 witnesses for the state, 34 testified.
