Kunio Hoshi murder: HC confirms death for 4 JMB militants

The High Court today (September 21, 2022) confirmed the death sentence of four JMB militants for killing Japanese national Kunio Hoshi in 2005.

The bench of Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman and Justice SM Masud Hossain Dolon delivered the judgement after holding hearing on the death reference (trial court documents) and appeals filed by the convicts against the lower court verdict against them.

The grounds on which the HC bench delivered the verdict could not be known as its full text is yet to get released.

The four convicted whose death sentences were confirmed by the HC are Rangpur region military commander of banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) Masud Rana Mamun, its activists Liton Mia Rafiq, Shakhawat Hossain, and Ahsanullah Ansari Biplob.

All except Ansari are now in custody.

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Japanese national gunned down in Rangpur

Accused JMB member Ishaque Ali was acquitted from the charges of the case, Additional Attorney General SK Md Morshed told The Daily Star.

He said the state will file an appeal with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court challenging the portion of the HC verdict that acquitted Ishaque Ali from the murder case.

Three masked assailants riding motorcycles shot Kunio Hoshi several times when he was heading to his farm on a rickshaw at Alutari village of Kaunia upazila in Rangpur on October 3 in 2015. The 66-year-old Hoshi died on the spot.

A Rangpur court February 28, 2017 sentenced the five accuse death penalties in the murder case.