14 Terrorists Sentenced To Death For Attempting To Assassinate Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

Bangladesh court on Tuesday sentenced 14 Islamic terrorists to death in the southwestern constituency of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for attempting to assassinate her in 2000. Judge Abu Zafar Mohammad Qamaruzzaman of the Rapid Hearing Tribunal-I of Dhaka said in the judgment, “The firing squad will implement this decision to set precedent unless it is banned by law.” During the hearing. Nine of them were brought from prison to court.

Judge Kamaruzzamman said otherwise the convicts can be hanged as per the current practice on getting the approval of the High Court section of the Supreme Court after compulsory review of the death penalty under Bangladesh law. All these convicts are members of the banned Harkat-ul-Jihad Bangladesh. The remaining five convicts are absconding and they were tried in absentia and the government-appointed lawyers defended them as per law.

The judge said that the verdict should be implemented after the arrest or surrender of absconding convicts. Harkat-ul-Jihad Bangladesh militants planted a 76 kg bomb on July 21, 2000, near the ground in Kotlipada in south-west Gopalganj. There Hasina was to address an election rally.