Avijit Murder: Verdict to be delivered at noon today
The judgement in the case filed over blogger Avijit Roy's murder against six members of banned militant outfit Ansar al Islam is set to be delivered today.
Judge Md Majibur Rahman of the Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal of Dhaka is scheduled to read out the judgement around 12:00 noon, Assistant Public Prosecutor Golam Sharuar Khan told The Daily Star.
The six accused are: Sayed Mohammad Ziaul Haque alias Major (sacked) Zia, Akram Hossain, Abu Siddiq Sohel, Mozammel Hossain Saimon, Arafat Rahman Siam and Shafiur Rahman Farabi.
Of them, Zia and Akram are still absconding, while the four others are behind bars.
Earlier, 28 prosecution witnesses, including Avijit's father Prof Ajoy Roy, who passed away on December 9, 2019, gave their depositions before the tribunal.
During the closing arguments on February 4, the prosecution told the court that they were able to prove the charges against the accused and sought capital punishment for them.
The defence sought acquittal for their clients during their arguments.
On February 26, 2015, US-based Bangladeshi blogger Avijit Roy and his wife Rafida Ahmed Bonya were hacked near 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.
On February 10 this year, Zia, Akram, Sohel and Mozammel were sentenced to death for murdering Jagriti Prokashoni publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan inside Aziz Super Market in the capital's Shahbagh area on October 31, 2015.