2 sentenced to death in Bangladesh for killing blogger

[AbRaj]

2 sentenced to death in Bangladesh for killing blogger - SFGate

2 sentenced to death in Bangladesh for killing blogger
New York Times

Published 5:20 pm, Thursday, December 31, 2015

DHAKA, Bangladesh — A court in Bangladesh sentenced two people to death and six others to prison terms Thursday for killing a secular blogger and activist in 2013, the first sentences in a series of killings of bloggers in Bangladesh.

Among the eight men convicted in the killing of the blogger, Rajib Haider, was Jasimuddin Rahmani, the leader of a banned Islamic militant group, Ansarullah Bangla Team, who is currently in prison. Rahmani received a five-year sentence for inciting the other men to kill Haider, said Mahbubur Rahman, a state prosecutor.

Haider, an architect and blogger who was critical of the Islamist political party Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladesh, was hacked to death by machete-wielding assailants on the road near his home in Dhaka, the capital, in February 2013. The assailants were students at a private university, Rahman said.

Atmosphere of fear

Two of the students, Faisal Bin Nayeem and Redwanul Azad Rana, were sentenced to death, although Rana, who graduated from North South University in Dhaka, remained a fugitive. One of the other assailants — all of whom attended the same college and were already in prison — was sentenced to life. Four of the students were convicted of helping to plan the killing by identifying Haider and staking out his home, Rahman said. Three were given 10-year sentences and one a three-year sentence.

Four other bloggers and a publisher have been killed in Bangladesh over the past year amid a rise in violence against liberal secular activists critical of Islamist parties.

The killings have contributed to an atmosphere of fear in Bangladesh, and some public figures have avoided openly discussing the threat posed by radical Islamists in recent months.

Seven of the eight convicted of killing Haider had confessed their participation in the murder and said that Rana, who is still at large, organized the attack, Rahman, the prosecutor, said.

“Confessional statements of the accused, recovered machetes and mobile SIM cards and some other evidences helped to prove the charges against the eight accused beyond reasonable doubt,” he said.

“I believe this first verdict in any blogger killing case is very significant,” Rahman added. “Because fanatic killers would get the message from this judgment that they can’t evade trial and punishment.”

Encouraging step

But Rahman also said that he was somewhat dissatisfied with the verdict: He had expected that at least five of the men would receive a death sentence, and said that he would appeal the decision to a higher court.

The lawyer for Rahmani, the Islamist leader, said that he would appeal to a higher court as well.

The victim’s father, Mohammad Nazimuddin, was in court Thursday to hear the verdict.

He said he was “very sad and disheartened by the verdict” because the police had still failed to arrest Rana, the chief planner of his son’s murder. He added that he had hoped that all of the men would have received the death penalty.

The convictions marked “a long overdue but encouraging first step in addressing the violence directed against bloggers in Bangladesh,” Sumit Galhotra, the Asia research associate at the Committee to Protect Journalists, said in a statement issued Thursday.

He added that until the planner of the attack was apprehended, “justice remained incomplete.”

Wow, that's called rapid and swift justice unlike here in India where such incidents are reserved for political appeasement and mudslinging of parties

 

[Stannis Baratheon]

Morality is not for you to define.If the eastern islamic societies were so very moral there would be little poverty as everyman would be a samaritan and little injustice.That is clearly not the case.On the contrary too many islamist hypocrites flock to these ' immoral' western societies in search of easy living.This vague concept of 'morality' has not improved human living standrads and life expectancy/infant mortality -that has been done through technology.The problem with some people is that they want the fruits of modern technology from other civilizations,while having the mentality of a medieval man and to cover up this contradiction and their helplessness in actually competing in the modern world,bring up vague terms such as 'morality' as a sort of catchword to reassure themselves that they are still relevant.

Here's the thing, morality doesn't make you scientifically advanced or rich. Education can do at least one of them. Modernization occurs when technology is introduced but living to foreign cultures into one's country is not modernization but rather kids living in western delusion that they are superior beings.

 

[24 Hours]

Western conservatives and Western liberals/anti-theists both hate other religions, cultures or other value systems in their separate ways.

there are those Westerners in the middle who are against the Crusade to take over the world and the ongoing episode of attacking Muslims.


also do some research into some thing very obvious by now to Bangladeshis at least. violence is exactly what the gathering in Shahbagh was about. one doesn't need to refrain from saying Earth is round without showing pictures of it. this below is at a basic level.

don't condone extra judicial killing. but the victims were not saints either.

Bangladesh Unrest 2013 – Key Facts

Here are key facts behind the issues affecting human rights in Bangladesh. Be it press freedom, police brutality or the controversial ‘International’ Crimes Tribunal, it is proving to be a divisive year for human rights in Bangladesh.

International War Crimes Tribunal [ICT]

• Condemned by multiple international bodies for lack of fair trial safeguards, falling short of international standards and breaching international law. Critics include The UN, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty.
• All accused exclusively from opposition, including all top leadership of Jamaat-i-Islami and its 90 year old retired leader. The opposition parties condemn the ICT as politically motivated.
• Defence harassment: armed police raids on their offices, arbitrary limits on witnesses
• Abduction of defence witness, Shukho Ranjan Bali, by police at court gates, Nov 2011. Not been seen since and feared dead. No investigations conducted by state or court.
• Expose of leaked material by The Economist revealed collusion between state, prosecution and presiding judge.

Press Freedom

• Bangladesh was ranked 144th in the Press Freedom Index of 2013
• As of Dec 2012, under 4 years of this regime, 12 journalists killed, 502 injured and 238 threatened (odhikar.org)
• Opposition media face harassment and police raids. Following Shahbag protest, Amar Desh, Naya Diganta and Sangram, faced vandalism and arson. 48 journalists assaulted by police fire and ruling party youth in the past month (Feb-March 2013). 25 journalists wounded mostly by police fire and baton charges on Feb 22nd alone.
• In 2010 Mahmudur Rahman, Editor of Amar Desh, arrested and tortured, his newspaper temporarily closed for publishing material critical of Prime Minister Hasina’s son.
• Mahmudur Rahman now under threat of arrest following publication of leaked material first exposed by The Economist and recent critique of the state and Shahbag protests. There are fears for his life.

Freedom of Speech & Police Brutality

• Opposition protests face heavy police crackdown nationwide: 143 activists dead (at least), thousands injured in past weeks (Feb-March). At least 66 killed on Feb 28 2013 alone. Thousands injured. (Collated from various news reports)
• Police raid on opposition BNP party offices on March 11 2013, following BNP led protests. 185 opposition members arrested including BNP Acting Secretary General.
• Regular arrest of opposition members of Jamaat/Shibir. All senior leadership arrested under ICT (determined arbitrary arrests by the UN). Regional leaders arrested, including leaders of Dhaka, Pabna, Comilla and several other cities.
• Women politically targeted: 19 female students and one elderly lady of the opposition were arrested without charge from their offices on December 2012. Among them was a 5 month pregnant young lady who was not permitted bail. They were forcibly unveiled and subjected to violence in remand. Later, 13 women were arrested from a women’s rights press conference organized in response to the students’ arrest. Four BNP lady MPs were arrested and detained for eight hours during protests on March 7 2013.
• • Torture, known as “remand”, practiced as routine. Detainees often maimed for life.
• As of Dec 12, under 4 years of this regime, 75 forced disappearances, 775 killed and 58,251 injured in political violence (Odhikar.org)
• According to Home Minister, in four years: 16,000 murders, 3,000 abductions/forced disappearances, 50,000 cases of repression against women. Forced disappearance includes garments factory union leader.
• Opposition (Jamaat/Shibir) figures as of Nov 13th, under four years of this regime:

—>Almost 20,000 activists arrested
—>Almost 200000 detained in prison
—>1,600 alleged cases of torture in police custody
—>80 female activists detained and 10 taken into remand
—>More than 100 offices burned and/or looted
—> 10 murdered and a couple of ICS leaders ‘disappeared’

Shahbag Protest 2013

• Demands hanging of Abdul Quader Molla and all those accused under the ICT
• Demands banning of opposition party Jamaat-i-Islami (in one report also Bangladesh Nationalist Party).
• Demands banning of opposition associated institutions including hospitals, banks and media, provoking attacks, vandalism and arson
• Full state backing and police protection, have faced no police violence

Bangladesh Unrest 2013 – Key Facts | Desh Rights

And you have still failed to provide any proof that the bloggers were involved in any killings and rioting themselves, seriously everything listed here is the action of the policemen instead.

 

[AbRaj]

there is a lot lot more to these victims than being "liberal secular activists". and the secular part is debatable.

these anti-theist activists are fundamentalists trying to remove Muslims' cultural history from this land.

they were chanting a year ago anyone just politically supporting Muslim self-determination (like in the form of East Pakistan's sovereignty) should be killed without any trial.

for these bloggers, everything is fair game in their effort to establish their violent version of a Bengali-only ethnic utopia where Bengali Brahmin culture would be glorified, and 'impure' and 'foreign' culture of Muslims erased, and where the universe came into existence with East Pakistan's 1971 communist takeover and Indian invasion.

sadly Bangladesh is ruled by the likes of these bloggers. these bloggers are against Muslims identifying as Muslims, and against Hindus identifying as Hindus and so on.

these anti-theist bloggers are ideological hardliners, and met with exactly what they were wishing on others they happened to disagree with.

i'm against extra judicial action. and also there a lot of reasons to think Bangladesh's Indian-backed government has some hand in the killings.

by the way, was NYT seriously in need of money from BAL or India, or they ideologically wanted to show support for anti-theists without even hinting at their violent side

So according to your version of justice just kill the blogger

cant believe someone can actually condone "hacking" another human being.

even if they did wish that for others, "wishing" it and actually doing it is really worlds apart.

 

[prashantazazel]

there is a lot lot more to these victims than being "liberal secular activists". and the secular part is debatable.

these anti-theist activists are fundamentalists trying to remove Muslims' cultural history from this land.

they were chanting a year ago anyone just politically supporting Muslim self-determination (like in the form of East Pakistan's sovereignty) should be killed without any trial.

for these bloggers, everything is fair game in their effort to establish their violent version of a Bengali-only ethnic utopia where Bengali Brahmin culture would be glorified, and 'impure' and 'foreign' culture of Muslims erased, and where the universe came into existence with East Pakistan's 1971 communist takeover and Indian invasion.

sadly Bangladesh is ruled by the likes of these bloggers. these bloggers are against Muslims identifying as Muslims, and against Hindus identifying as Hindus and so on.

these anti-theist bloggers are ideological hardliners, and met with exactly what they were wishing on others they happened to disagree with.

i'm against extra judicial action. and also there a lot of reasons to think Bangladesh's Indian-backed government has some hand in the killings.

by the way, was NYT seriously in need of money from BAL or India, or they ideologically wanted to show support for anti-theists without even hinting at their violent side

when the religious folks openly kill, bomb and maim every other person who doesn't adhere to their world view, I think the anti theists are justified in their criticism of religion and religious figures/ leaders.

there is a lot lot more to these victims than being "liberal secular activists". and the secular part is debatable.

these anti-theist activists are fundamentalists trying to remove Muslims' cultural history from this land.

they were chanting a year ago anyone just politically supporting Muslim self-determination (like in the form of East Pakistan's sovereignty) should be killed without any trial.

for these bloggers, everything is fair game in their effort to establish their violent version of a Bengali-only ethnic utopia where Bengali Brahmin culture would be glorified, and 'impure' and 'foreign' culture of Muslims erased, and where the universe came into existence with East Pakistan's 1971 communist takeover and Indian invasion.

sadly Bangladesh is ruled by the likes of these bloggers. these bloggers are against Muslims identifying as Muslims, and against Hindus identifying as Hindus and so on.

these anti-theist bloggers are ideological hardliners, and met with exactly what they were wishing on others they happened to disagree with.

i'm against extra judicial action. and also there a lot of reasons to think Bangladesh's Indian-backed government has some hand in the killings.

by the way, was NYT seriously in need of money from BAL or India, or they ideologically wanted to show support for anti-theists without even hinting at their violent side

when the religious folks openly kill, bomb and maim every other person who doesn't adhere to their world view, I think the anti theists are justified in their criticism of religion and religious figures/ leaders.

 

[dray]

Evil AL govt. is punishing the true warriors of Islam in Bangladesh, all Bangladeshis (barring the evil minorities and hardcore AL supporters) stand in solidarity with the jihadi murderers.

 

[Sliver]

@khair_ctg there is no proof saying that these bloggers actually killed or harmed someone. Asking for them to be hanged is same as people asking for criminals to be hanged. That doesn't make the people asking for it as killers. your condoning of the hacking is so apparent and stark
If its someone along your ideology, then even saying something against them you will brand them as anti-national and need to be killed. Does that mean that if you were "hacked" then you were "asking for it"?

 

[khair_ctg]

@khair_ctg there is no proof saying that these bloggers actually killed or harmed someone. Asking for them to be hanged is same as people asking for criminals to be hanged. That doesn't make the people asking for it as killers. your condoning of the hacking is so apparent and stark
If its someone along your ideology, then even saying something against them you will brand them as anti-national and need to be killed. Does that mean that if you were "hacked" then you were "asking for it"?

it's surprising you are now trying to judge by individual actions of the victims, that they never harmed anyone.

this thread and the NYT article started off broadly addressing "liberal secular" activists, not individual persons. and i maintained addressing them that way, as i tried to point out (the tip of the iceberg of) the violent side of this particular group of pro-government "liberal secular" activists.

those anti-theist activists you have become a big fan of weren't even slightly interested in due process of law. for them, any one politically supporting the existence of Muslims' culture and values is a "war criminal' by default.

the languages used by activists and Awami League supporters include threatening to slaughter, bayonet and hang BNP-JEI leaders. from these anti-Muslim activists, unfortunately there was nothing to do with demanding justice, but all to do with communist Bengali Brahmin ideology based on myths of 1971 suffering, anti-Muslim-politics, and faith in socialist/communist figures as national demigods. if you aren't versed in all this, do some research instead of just showing your obvious bias and blind support for this group of pro-government anti-theist activists in question, and hatred for Muslims.

i don't know how it is where you are. but in my books, chanting for violence on political/ideological opposition does not equal demanding justice and is a crime in itself.

these anti-theists were killed as victims, not tried as criminals, like many others of other ideologies that met similar fate in Bangladesh in recent years.

And you have still failed to provide any proof that the bloggers were involved in any killings and rioting themselves, seriously everything listed here is the action of the policemen instead.

So according to your version of justice just kill the blogger

when the religious folks openly kill, bomb and maim every other person who doesn't adhere to their world view, I think the anti theists are justified in their criticism of religion and religious figures/ leaders.


when the religious folks openly kill, bomb and maim every other person who doesn't adhere to their world view, I think the anti theists are justified in their criticism of religion and religious figures/ leaders.

the group of "secularists" i'm talking about are ones that were chanting violence on people based on political differences. this was government sponsored and staged. using an excuse of "religious folks do worse things" does not change it is terrorism.

 

[Russell]

The bastard was deported from Malaysia and was arrested upon arrival in Bangladesh - no more running scumbag. Time to hang!

Blogger Rajib Murder: Convicted planner, deported from Malaysia, arrested

Redwanul Azad

Staff Correspondent

Redwanul Azad Rana, a fugitive sentenced to death over the murder of blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider, was arrested yesterday soon after he had landed in Dhaka being deported by Malaysian authorities.

A key organiser of banned militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) in its initial years and the main planner of Rajib murder, Rana was held along with an associate named Ashraf in Uttara around 2:00pm.

On February 15, 2013, blogger and Shahbagh movement activist Rajib was hacked to death near his house in Mirpur.


For the killing, a Dhaka court on December 31, 2015 handed down death penalty to Rana, also a former North South University student, and another NSU student Faisal Bin Nayem alias Dweep.

Six others -- five NSU students and ABT chief and spiritual leader Jashim Uddin Rahmani -- were awarded different jail terms.

To execute the plan to kill Rajib, ABT members had worked being divided into two -- “intel group” and “execution group”.

As law enforcers detected Rana after the murder, he fled to Malaysia in 2014 managing a passport where he faked his present and permanent addresses, chief of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Monirul Islam said yesterday.

“We had been maintaining regular contacts with Malaysian authorities and providing them with intelligence about the possible whereabouts of Rana. Malaysian detectives tracked and arrested him recently and deported him with an associate yesterday,” the CTTC chief said.

A CTTC team followed Rana from the airport and arrested him along with his associate Ashraf in Uttara West Police Station area, he added.

At one stage of his stay in Malaysia, Rana came in contact with Junnun Shikder, a militant suspect who was once arrested by law enforcers in Bangladesh but got bail and fled the country.

“Although Rana was an organiser of banned militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team for several years, he was attracted to Islamic State being motivated by Junnun Shikder and took baiyat [oath of allegiance] to the global terror body,” Monirul said while briefing journalists at the Central Shaheed Minar about the security arrangement of Ekushey February.

According to the CTTC chief, Junnun is now in Syria. Rana also tried to go to the war-torn country from Malaysia but failed.

Later, Rana along with Ashraf contacted Philippines-based violent jihadist organisation Abu Sayyaf to visit Philippines and take militant training. But before leaving for Philippines, they got arrested by Malaysian detectives.

Rana, who is from Feni, mentioned Gazipur as his present and permanent addresses in his fake passport used for Malaysia trip, Monirul said.

The number of his original passport was “blocked” by law enforcers so that he got caught at the immigration. But how he managed the fake passport is not known and it is under investigation.

RISE OF RANA & ABT
ABT was formed with Rana as its leader in 2013. He along with some other NSU students formed different cells and carried out operations. One of such cells killed Rajib Haider.

Another cell attempted to murder blogger Asif Mohiuddin in January 2013, leaving him severely wounded. Rana, who masterminded the attack, is a charge-sheeted accused in the case filed in this connection.

Rana, now 34, is also a charge-sheeted accused in another case filed for planning to kill an assistant headmaster of Monipur High School in the capital at the end of 2013.

Law enforcers intercepted two ABT members while they were on their way to kill the teacher. One was arrested while the other managed to flee.

“The arrested ABT man later identified Rana through his photograph and admitted that Rana assigned them to carry out the attack,” Monirul said, adding both the cases are under trial.

The DMP in March 2015 announced a Tk 5 lakh bounty on Rana.

Monirul said Rana might have links to some incidents that took place in Bangladesh before he was attracted to IS in 2015.

“We think that from Malaysia, he continued his militant activities and played roles in different terrorist attacks [in Bangladesh].”

Asked whether Rana has any connection with Ansar al Islam's military commander Maj (sacked) Syed Ziaul Haq, Monirul said they would place him before a court today, appeal for his remand in a case to be filed later in the day under Anti-Terrorism Act and interrogate him to know whether he has any links with Zia.

He also said they would also try to know whether he had any links with one of the Gulshan café attackers, Nibras Islam, who once studied at a Malaysian university.

Ansar al Islam was previously called Ansarullah Bangla Team.

As a rising militant outfit, ABT wanted to launch al-Qaeda in Bangladesh (AQIB) like al-Qaeda in Indian Sub-Continent (AQIS). But the AQIS headquarters in Pakistan did not approve the idea and suggested Ansarullah be renamed Ansar al Islam and work as the Bangladesh chapter of AQIS.