Death Warrants Issued for Bangabandhu Murder Case Convicts

Strategic Insights -

The five former military officers convicted in the historic Bangabandhu Murder Case have been given a seven-day window to submit mercy petitions to the President of Bangladesh, after receiving their death warrants. The convicts, whose names are Lt Col (sacked) Syed Farooq Rahman, Lt Col (retd) Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Maj (retd) Bazlul Huda, Maj (retd) AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed (Lancer), and Lt Col (retd) MU Mohiuddin Ahmed (Artillery), were informed of their sentences by the Dhaka Central Jail authority, led by Inspector-General (Prisons) Brig Gen Ashraful Islam Khan.

Key Takeaways:

  • The five convicts have been given seven days to submit mercy petitions to the President of Bangladesh, following the receipt of their death warrants.
  • The convicts are currently under 24/7 CCTV surveillance and have security heightened in and around the Dhaka Central Jail.
  • If the mercy petition is rejected, the execution process will be completed within 21 to 28 days.
  • The convicts are still to file a review petition on the case, for which they have time to do so.
  • The Bangabandhu Murder Case convicts have already started writing their mercy petitions, with two of them already initiating the process.
  • The death sentences were originally passed in 1998 by the Dhaka District and Sessions Judge, with the High Court confirming the sentences on 12 of the accused in the same year.

Statistics:

  • 5: The number of convicts on death row in the Bangabandhu Murder Case.
  • 7: The number of days given to the convicts to submit mercy petitions to the President.
  • 21-28: The time frame within which the execution process will be completed if the mercy petition is rejected.
  • 4: The number of daughters of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, including incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, who were abroad at the time of the murder.

Sources:

  • "Dhaka, Jan 4 (UNB)-The detained ex-army officers sentenced to death in the historic Bangabandhu Murder Case got down to writing mercy petition to the President for sparing them from execution, as the death warrants were read out to them in jail." (UNB)
  • "They were seen quite normal when the death warrant was read out to each of them," said Inspector-General (Prisons) Brig Gen Ashraful Islam Khan. (THROUGH ASIA PULSE)