Posted on 08/31/2006 7:07:23 PM PDT by Valin
Bangladesh's High Court on Thursday confirmed the death sentences handed down by a trial court to seven leaders of outlawed Jamaatul Mujaheedin Bangladesh (JMB) including Shaekh Abdur Rahman and his deputy Siddiqul Islam Bangla Bhai.
A High Court bench comprising Justice Mohammad Ali Asgar Khan and Justice Mohammad Emdadul Haque confirmed the capital punishment after six days of hearing on the death reference as required by the law of the land. "The prosecution proved the case beyond reasonable doubt," Justice Khan told the court as the bench confirmed the lower court verdict. "Islam does not permit terrorism," added the High Court verdict with the operative part of the long judgement coming on Thursday while the court took two days to pronounce it.
The five others to walk down to gallows are JMB military commander Ataur Rahman Sunny, regional commanders Abdul Awal, Khalid Saifullah, Iftekhar Hassan Mamun and Asadul Islam alias Arif. Only one of the seven convicts, Mamun, filed an appeal against his death penalty as ordered by the lower court, which too was heard simultaneously alongside the automatic death reference hearing by the High Court and dismissed upholding his sentence.
The Supreme Court premises witnessed extra security cautions during the past two days with contingents of alite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), police and plainclothesmen guarding the courtyard and searching people and cars entering the compound while huge number of journalists representing the Bangladeshi and foreign media and lawyers thronged the court to hear the judgement. A Jhalakathi court sentenced to death the seven top brass of the extreme rightwing militant outfit on May 29 this year on charges of masterminding the killing of two judges -- senior assistant judges of Jhalakathi - Sohel Ahmed and Jagannath Par.
They were killed on November 14, 2005 in a car explosion with JMB claiming the responsibility saying it was part of their campaign against the "tagudi law" or infidelity. Six of the seven convicts faced the trial in person after their arrest under a massive security campaign as they masterminded a string of deadly blasts including the August 17, 2005 simultaneous explosions in 63 district out 65. The seventh convict, Arif, was tried in absentia.
The state-appointed lawyers defended the militant leaders in the lower court as well as the High Court as they declined to appoint lawyers on their own saying they did not believe in the trial under man made or "tagudi" law. A total of 45 prosecution witnesses among the listed 53 testified before the trial court during an eight-day hearing and they included eye witnesses of the judges murders, policemen, doctors and landlords of houses rented by the militants for carrying out their judges killing mission. "They have 30 days to make an appeal to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court. Otherwise, they could be hanged any time after October 1," said Deputy Attorney General Helaluddin Molla, who represented the persecution in the death reference hearing in the High Court.
Legal experts said if the High Court endorses the trial court's judgement, the death sentence would be legally final and if no appeal was filed against the HC judgment, the death sentence would be executable with the High Court's approval. According to the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the registrar of the Supreme Court will have to send a copy of the HC judgment to the trial court without any delay and on receiving the HC order, the trial court will have to "cause the order to be carried into effect" by issuing a warrant.
The warrant of execution will have to be sent to the jailor of the prison confining the condemned militants while according to the Jail Code, on receipt of the warrant, the jail superintendent will inform the convicts that if they want to submit a petition for mercy, it must be done in writing within the next seven days. According to relevant law, if any of the convicts opts for making a mercy petition, it will be sent to the President. If no reply to the petition is received within 15 days, the jail super will have to telegraph to the secretary of the home ministry. If no reply is received within another 15 days or if the mercy denied, the jail super will have to fix a date for execution of the death sentence within seven to 15 days.
© The Bangladesh Journal
I guess they're going to that Great Whorehouse in the sky with free wine mixers.
It appears there a some Muslims who get it.
Contrary to the opinions of some, most Muslims do...get it that is.
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