Blogger Rajib killing: HC verdict any day

The High Court will deliver verdict any day on the death reference and appeals in blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider murder case.

The bench of Justice Jahangir Hossain and Justice Md Jahangir Hossain kept the death reference and appeals in Rajib killing case waiting for verdict after concluding their hearing today.

If a lower court sentences any person to death in a case, its judgment is examined by the HC through hearing arguments for confirmation of the death sentence. The case documents and judgment reach as death reference to the HC from the lower court in seven days after the latter delivers the verdict. 

Blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider, who was an activist of Shahbagh movement and used to write against Jamaat-Shibir and war criminals on different blogs under the pseudo name of ‘Thaba Baba’, was hacked to death near his Mirpur house in the capital on February 15, 2013.

On December 31, 2015, a Dhaka court handed down death penalty to two people and different jail terms to six others, including the chief of banned militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), for killing Rajib.

READ MORE: 2 get death; 6 others jailed

Redwanul Azad Rana, 32, the main planner of the killing, and Faisal Bin Nayem alias Dweep, 24, who hacked Rajib to death, were given the capital punishment. They have also been fined Tk 10,000 each.

Maksudul Hasan alias Anik, 25, who accompanied Rana and Dweep during the killing, was given life in prison. He was also fined Tk 10,000, in default of which he will have to serve one more year in jail.

Ehsan Reza Rumman, 25, Nafis Imtiaz, 24, and Nayem Sikdar Irad, 21, were each given 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. In addition, they will have to pay a fine of Tk 5,000 each. If they fail to pay the money, they must serve six more months in jail.

The court sentenced Sadman Yasir Mahmud, 22, to three years in prison. His fine amount is Tk 2,000, in default of which he will have to serve two more months in jail.

READ ALSO: I reject this verdict: Rajib’s father

All these seven convicts were students of North South University in 2013.

Of them, Redwanul Azad Rana, also the main suspect in the murder of writer-blogger Avijit Roy, is absconding.

Mufti Jasimuddin Rahmani, 45, chief of ABT, was found guilty of provoking Rajib’s murder through his sermons. The court sentenced him to five years in jail and fined Tk 2,000. In default, he has to serve two more months in prison.

The court ordered the authorities to deduct the time they have already served since their arrests.

The convicts except for Rana have filed separate appeals with the HC challenging their sentences handed by the trial court.

Deputy Attorney General Zahirul Haque Zahir and Assistant Attorney General Atiqul Haque Selim appeared for the government while Advocate Abdur Razaque Khan and Advocate Ahsan Ullah argued for the accused.