Judgment hailed as ‘landmark’

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a High Court verdict that handed down the death sentence to 12 former army officers in the Bangabandhu murder case, sealing the gruelling and long-disrupted proceedings of 21 years.

People of all walks hailed it as a landmark verdict, delivering justice more than three decades after the killing of independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on Aug 15 1975.

A five-strong bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Justice Mohammed Tafazzal Islam, rejected the appeals of the five jailed convicts to have their sentences commuted.

The five convicts are Syed Faruk Rahman, Mohiuddin Ahmed, Bazlul Huda, AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed and Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan.

They can, however, seek to have the verdict reviewed by the Appellate Division.

The long-awaited judgment has cleared the way for hanging of all 12 former army officers convicted of the 1975 assassination, seven of whom are fugitives.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina, daughter of the slain leader, expressed satisfaction at the final judgment on her father’s killers

She also asked for people to remain calm as Awami League supporters spilled onto the streets in celebration.

Hasina asked all to offer prayers in gratitude, deputy press secretary Nakibuddin Ahmed told reporters.

The prime minister had cut short a visit to Italy to return home just hours before the verdict Thursday. She was at her official residence Jamuna when it was delivered.

Sister Sheikh Rehana, in an exclusive reaction to bdnews24.com, said it was important that the verdict had been upheld by the Supreme Court.

She said: “I pray for the peace of the departed souls of those killed that day. I hope the shame of the incident will be erased from our history through this final verdict.

“The trial has finally ended after 34 years. Justice has been established,” Rehana told bdnews24.com by phone from abroad.

Sheikh Mujib and most of his family, including wife and three sons, were murdered on Aug 15 1975. His daughters Hasina and Rehana survived as they were away in England.

‘Epoch-making’

Attorney general Mahbubey Alam called Thursday’s judgment “epoch-making”.

“It’ll be remembered as one of the greatest trials in the history of mankind,” he said in a post-verdict press conference.

A defence counsel, barrister Abdullah Al Mamun, has said a review petition will be filed on the rejection of the appeals.

The condemned men were not present in the courtroom when the Justice Mohammed Tafazzal Islam gave the historic judgement at 11:47am.

Justice Islam, in his six-minute delivery, upheld the verdict of the third High Court judge made in 2001.

He said the convicts were not in active service during the killings and that there was no legal error by holding their trial under civil law instead of army law.

The judge said it was not a mutiny, but a conspiracy to kill Bangabandhu.

He also said the trial court and the High Court gave valid reasons for the 21 years of delay in filing of case.

The Appellate Division accepted their explanation in reaching the final verdict Thursday on the appeals filed by the convicts eight years ago, Justice Islam said.

He said the prosecution had proved without a doubt the allegations against the five convicts, and therefore their appeals had been rejected.

The verdict, handed down amid unprecedented security at court room-1 because of the political sensitivity of the case, is seen to help excavate a past that had been all but wiped from official history.

The guiding figure of Bangladesh independence, Mujib was killed with 16 members of his family, including wife and three sons, on Aug 15, 1975.

Abul Hasanat Abdullah, whose father Abdur Rob Serniyabat was killed on Aug 15, welcomed the final judgment.

“The nation has erased the stains of the past through this verdict.”

Awami League leaders and supporters, defying party instruction, took to the streets on hearing the verdict.

AL-backed lawyers were also chanting the slogan ‘Jai Bangla Jai Bangabandhu’ at the Supreme Court premises.