A Dhaka court will deliver its verdict against eight activists of the banned militant outfit, Ansar al-Islam, on Wednesday in the case filed over the 2015 murder of Jagriti Prokashony Publisher Foisal Arefin Dipon.
On January 24, after hearing the concluding arguments in the case, Judge Md Majibur Rahman of the Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal in Dhaka had set the date of verdict to February 10.
Dipon was hacked to death at his Aziz Super Market office on October 31, 2015.
Special Public Prosecutor of the Tribunal Md Golam Sharuar Khan Jakir, in his argument, sought maximum punishment for all the accused in the case. He claimed that they successfully proved their points of arguments before the court.
One of the defence lawyers, Md Khairul Islam Liton, however, argued that the prosecution lawyers failed to prove charges brought against them. He hoped for acquittal of his clients.
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On October 13, 2019, the court framed charges against eight activists of banned militant outfit, Ansar al-Islam, in a case filed with Shahbagh police station.
Among the eight accused, Abdus Sabur alias Abdus Samad alias Sujon; top Ansar al-Islam operatives Khairul Islam alias Jamil alias Jisan; Sheikh Abdullah alias Jubayer alias Jayed; Abu Siddique Sohel alias Sajid alias Sihab; and Mozammel Hossain alias Saimon are now in jail.
Two of the accused – sacked army major Syed Ziaul Haque Zia, and Akram Hossain alias Hasib – are still on the run.
A total of 22 out of 26 prosecution witnesses testified before the court in the case.
Dipon’s publishing house had published a book written by writer-blogger Avijit Roy, who was also hacked to death by the militants on the campus of Dhaka University on February 26, 2015.
Dipan’s wife, Dr Razia Rahman, filed the murder case with Shahbagh police station on November 2, 2015 against unidentified assailants.
