BANGLADESH. FIVE PEOPLE SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER

July 24, 2005: five men were sentenced to death, four of them in absentia, by a Speedy Trial Court in Sylhet, Bangladesh, after being found guilty of killing a member of the Islampur union at Chhatak. Judge Biplob Goswami handed down the death penalty to Abdul Khaliq standing in the dock. Four others condemned to death were Abdul Hye, Makhon Mia, Salik Mia and Manik Mia, all of whom had remained fugitive since the murder.
According to the prosecution, Abdul Jalil, had mobilized local villagers against smugglers and illegal traders in the area.
The accused allegedly hacked Jalil to death as he was returning home in Rashanpur village on the night of December 5, 2002. (Sources: United News of Bangladesh Limited, 24/07/2005)