DHAKA: A Bangladeshi court sentenced 152 soldiers to death and jailed hundreds more yesterday, after a mass trial over a 2009 mutiny in which scores of top officers were massacred.
Some 823 soldiers plus 23 civilians appeared in a special court charged with murder, torture and other offences over the mutiny, in which 74 people were shot, hacked to death or burnt alive before their bodies were dumped in sewers or shallow graves.
A judge passed the death penalty on the soldiers, who looted weapons and led the killing spree, partly in anger that their longstanding pleas for better pay and treatment were ignored.
Another 161 soldiers plus some civilians were sentenced to life in prison while 262 defendants were jailed for up to 10 years, over the uprising that started at the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) headquarters in Dhaka and spread to other BDR bases.
“The atrocities were so heinous that even the bodies were not given their rights,” Judge Mohammad Akhtaruzzaman told the packed court in the capital as he read out the long-awaited verdicts. The uprising briefly threatened the newly-elected government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a country with a history of military-backed coups.
Executions by hanging are regularly carried out in Bangladesh. Lawyers for the soldiers on death row said they will appeal.
The judge acquitted 271 people, prompting chaotic scenes in the court. Many cheered and cried out “Allahu Akbar!” (God is great). Several of those convicted screamed at the judge in anger, with one soldier crying out: “I am innocent. You will face Allah’s wrath.” “I don’t need a life term. Hang me, hang me!” another shouted.
Nearly 6,000 BDR soldiers have been convicted by special courts over the mutiny, whose victims included 57 top officers.
The 823 soldiers were singled out for prosecution in a civilian court for leading the mutiny at BDR headquarters, after earlier being found guilty in military courts. AFP
