Avijit Murder: Prosecution seeks capital punishment for 6 accused

Prosecutors yesterday sought capital punishment for six men accused of killing blogger and writer Avijit Roy in February 2015.

The accused are members of banned militant outfit Ansar-al-Islam, officials said.

Assistant Public Prosecutor Golam Sharuar Khan told the tribunal that the prosecutors were able to prove the charges against the accused.

Judge Md Majibur Rahman of the Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal of Dhaka fixed today to hear arguments of the defence lawyers.

The six accused are Sayed Mohammad Ziaul Haque alias Maj (sacked) Zia, Akram Hossain Abir, Mozammel Hossain Saymon, Abu Siddiq Sohel, Arafat Rahman Siam and Shafiur Rahman Farabi.

Law enforcers are looking for Maj (sacked) Zia and Akram.

Earlier, 28 prosecution witnesses, including Avijit's father Prof Ajoy Roy, who passed away on December 9, 2019, gave depositions before the tribunal.

On February 26, 2015, US-based Bangladeshi blogger Avijit Roy and his wife Rafida Ahmed Bonya were hacked near the TSC of Dhaka University by a gang of assailants when the couple was walking out of the Ekushey Boi Mela around 8:30pm.

Prof Ajoy filed the murder case accusing unidentified assailants with Shahbagh Police Station the next day.

Bonya is now living in the United States. She suffered severe injuries when she tried to protect her husband from the attackers.

Inspector Muhammad Monirul Islam of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit of police submitted the charge sheet to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Dhaka on March 11, 2019.

On August 1 that year, the Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal of Dhaka framed charges against the six accused.