All the death sentences handed over were between the ages of 20 and 22. (Represent)
Dhaka:
Bangladesh sentenced 20 university students to death on Wednesday for the brutal 2019 murder of a young man who had criticized the government on social media.
The battered body of Abrar Fahad, 21, was found in his university dormitory hours after he wrote a Facebook post criticizing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for signing a sharing agreement country with India.
He was beaten with cricket bats and other blunt objects for six hours by 25 classmates who were members of the ruling student wing of the Awami League, Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL).
“I am satisfied with the verdict,” Fahad’s father Barkat Ullah told reporters outside the court after the ruling. “I hope the penalties will be enforced soon.”
Prosecutor Abdullah Abu told AFP that the remaining five perpetrators were sentenced to life in prison.
All of those sentenced to death were between 20 and 22 years old and attended Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology with Fahad.
The three defendants were still grown while the rest were in the courtroom.
An attorney for the defendants said the verdict would be appealed.
“The highest penalty”
Fahad posted a post on Facebook hours before his death.
In it, he criticized the government for signing an agreement that would allow India to draw water from a river that lies on a shared boundary between the two countries.
Fahad was seen – in leaked CCTV footage that went viral on social media – entering the dormitory with several BCL activists.
About six hours later, his body was carried out by the students and placed on the ground.
BCL has gained notoriety in recent years after several of its members were accused of murder, violence and extortion.
In 2018, members of the organization were accused of using violence to suppress a large student protest against the government.
The protests were sparked by anger over road safety after a student was hit and killed by a speeding bus.
Protesters have called for severe punishment of the attackers and a ban on the BCL.
Hasina swore that shortly after the attacks that the killers would receive “the highest punishment”.
The death penalty is very common in Bangladesh with hundreds of people being sentenced to death. All executions were by hanging, a legacy of the British colonial era.
In August, a court sentenced six Islamist extremists to death for the brutal murders of two gay rights activists.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
