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The International Crimes Tribunal has sentenced six people, including former Dhaka MP Md Saiful Islam, to death in a crimes against humanity case over the shooting of six people and the burning of their bodies in Savar's Ashulia during the July Uprising.
A three-member bench of International Crimes Tribunal-2, led by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, delivered its verdict in the case on Thursday.
The other two members of the tribunal are Justice Md Manjurul Bashid and Justice Nur Mohammad Shahriar Kabir, bdnews24.com reports.
Of the 16 suspects in the case, another seven suspects were sentenced to life in prison, and two more to seven years in prison each. One suspect – Sub Inspector Sheikh Abzalul Haque - turned state’s witness in the case and was pardoned by the tribunal.
According to the prosecution, during the Uprising that led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, police opened fire in Savar's Ashulia, killing five people and critically injuring another.
Later, police allegedly loaded the bodies of the five dead and the injured person into a police van, poured petrol on them, and set them on fire.
Five of the dead have been identified as Sazzad Hossain (Sajal), As Sabur, Tanzil Mahmud Sujoy, Bayezid Bostami, and Abul Hossain.
A case was filed with the International Crimes Tribunal on September 11, 2024, accusing those involved of crimes against humanity.
On July 2 last year, the prosecution submitted formal charges against 16 people in the case. Taking cognisance of the charges, the tribunal issued arrest warrants against eight absconding suspects.
On August 21, the tribunal framed charges against the accused and ordered the start of the trial. At that time, seven of the eight suspects present pleaded not guilty, while SI Sheikh Abzalul Haque confessed to the charges. He later gave a confessional statement after turning key witness in the case.
The hearing of arguments concluded on Jan 20 this year. After hearing arguments from both the prosecution and the defence, the tribunal kept the case under consideration for verdict (CAV).
On that day, state-appointed defence lawyers Md Amir Hossain, Mirajul Alam, and Abul Hasan argued for the accused, while prosecutor Mizanul Islam countered the defence arguments.
On February 1, the tribunal fixed February 5 for delivering the verdict. This is the first verdict delivered by Tribunal-2.
Previously, Tribunal-1 delivered verdicts in two cases over crimes against humanity committed during the July Uprising.
In the first case, on November 17 last year, ousted prime minister Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal were sentenced to death.
In the same case, former IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun was given five years’ imprisonment as a lesser sentence after confessing to the charges and giving a statement as a state witness.
The verdict in the second crimes against humanity case, related to incidents in the Chankharpul area of the capital during the uprising, was delivered on January 26.
The tribunal sentenced three suspects, including former Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner Habibur Rahman, to death and handed down various prison terms to five others.