HC releases full text of BDR carnage verdict awarding death to 139

The High Court today released the full text of its verdict that confirmed death penalty for 139 accused and upheld life imprisonment of 185 others for their involvement in the massacre during the BDR mutiny in 2009.

The 29,059-page long verdict was released after the three judges concerned of the special High Court judge signed it around 10:30am.

The convicted accused can now file appeals with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court in thirty days challenging the High Court verdict on them.

The High Court verdict has made observations, findings and causes of the sentences in details in the full text of the verdict.

On November 27, 2017, the special HC bench pronounced the verdict that confirmed death penalty for 139 of the 152 accused who were awarded capital punishment by a lower court for their involvement in the carnage during the mutiny by the paramilitary force members.

The court commuted death sentence of eight to life imprisonment and acquitted four others. One died during the HC hearing of the appeals and death references.

The mutiny on February 25-26, 2009 left the nation shocked and numb -- as details of the unthinkable cruelty perpetrated at the Pilkhana headquarters of the paramilitary force emerged. BDR was later renamed Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).

On November 5, 2013, a Dhaka court awarded death sentence to 150 BDR members and two civilians, and life imprisonment to 160 others in the case.

It also handed down rigorous imprisonment of different terms -- ranging from one year to 14 years -- to 256 people, mostly BDR soldiers. It acquitted the remaining 278, but the government later appealed against the acquittal of 69 of them.