Involved In The Assassination Of Government Critics, 20 Bangladeshi Students Sentenced To Death

Illustrations. (Pexels / Ekaterina Bolovtsova)

JAKARTA - Bangladesh sentenced 20 students to death on Wednesday for the brutal murder of a young man who criticized the government on social media in 2019.

The battered body of Abrar Fahad, 21, was found in his university dormitory, hours after he wrote a post on Facebook criticizing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for signing a water-sharing deal with India.

He was beaten with cricket batons and other blunt objects for six hours by 25 students belonging to the ruling Awami League's student wing, the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL).

"I am happy with the verdict. I hope the sentence will be carried out soon," Fahad's father Barkat Ullah told reporters outside the court after the verdict, citing CNA from AFP Dec. 8.

Meanwhile, in addition to the death penalty, Prosecutor Abdullah Abu told AFP five other perpetrators were sentenced to life imprisonment. All of those sentenced to death were aged between 20 and 22 and attended Bangladesh's elite University of Engineering and Technology with Fahad.

Lawyers for the defendants said they would appeal the verdict. Meanwhile, three other suspects are still at large.

Previously, Fahad had posted a post on Facebook which went viral a few hours before his death. In it, he criticized the government for signing an agreement allowing India to draw water from a river that lies on the border of the two countries.

Fahad was once seen, in leaked CCTV footage that went viral on social media, walking to the dormitory with several BCL activists. About six hours later, his body was carried by the students and laid on the ground.

BCL has gained notoriety in recent years after several of its members were accused of murder, violence and extortion. In 2018, its members allegedly used violence to suppress large anti-government student protests.

The protests were sparked by anger over road safety after a student was killed by a speeding bus. Protesters have called for the attackers to be severely punished and for BCL to be banned.

Hasina vowed immediately after the attack that the killers would receive the 'highest punishment'.

To note, the death penalty is common in Bangladesh with hundreds of people on death row. All executions were carried out by hanging, a legacy of the British colonial era.

In August, a court sentenced six Muslim extremists to death for the brutal murder of two gay rights activists.