A court in Bangladeshhas sentenced two former police officers to death for the killing of a student protester during the 2024 uprising that toppled the government of Sheikh Hasina and plunged the country into political turmoil.
The International Crimes Tribunal handed down the punishment to former assistant sub-inspector Amir Hossain and former constable Sujan Chandra Roy for their role in the shooting of Abu Sayed, a student at Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur.
The tribunal also sentenced three other accused to life imprisonment and handed down jail terms of varying lengths to 25 people.
In all, the court found 30 people, including several former police officers and university employees, guilty. While the two policemen facing the death penalty are in custody, most of the other convicts remain absconding.
Azizul Haque Dulu, a lawyer for the convicted policemen, said that they would appeal the verdict.
Abu Sayed, 23, was killed during a protest on 16 July 2024. A widely circulated video showed him standing in a street with his arms outstretched as police fired at him. The footage caused national outrage and intensified the mass protests against Ms Hasina’s government.
“Abu Sayeed sacrificed his life to free the country from autocratic rule,” chief prosecutor Aminul Islam said.
The ruling, however, elicited mixed reactions. Abu Sayed’s family expressed dissatisfaction, arguing that some senior officials received lighter sentences than expected.
“The court handed lighter sentences to senior police officials and the Chhatra League leader,” his brother Ramzan Ali told AFP. “We will file an appeal.”
Chhatra League, the student wing of Ms Hasina’s Awami League party, was banned after her fall.
Amnesty International’s Rehab Mahamoor said “Abu Sayed and the many other victims of police violence during the July 2024 protests deserve justice and accountability” but “the death penalty has no place in any courtroom”.
“It’s the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, and its continued use by the ICT undermines efforts to deliver a just and lasting reconciliation to Bangladesh,” he said.
“In the past, Amnesty International and other human rights organisations have also raised serious concerns that the ICT has not observed international fair trial and due process standards in many instances. Any proceedings undertaken by the ICT demand stringently impartial and transparent judicial proceedings. We urge the Bangladeshi authorities to take steps to establish a moratorium on the use of the death penalty, with a view to completely abolishing the punishment.”