Bangladesh: 20 sentenced to death for murdering student

A Bangladesh court on Wednesday issued death sentences to 20 university students over their involvement in the murder of a 21-year-old fellow student in 2019, according to local media reports.

Five other students were sentenced to life imprisonment, prosecutor Abdullah Abu told the AFP news agency.

The brutal murder of Abrar Fahad, who was beaten with a cricket bat and other objects for several hours after he put up a Facebook post criticizing the Bangladeshi government, had sparked protests across campuses in the country.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina vowed the "highest punishment" for perpetrators of the crime.

Fahad's family welcomes sentences

"I am happy with the verdict," Fahad's father, Barkat Ullah, told reporters outside the court premises after the sentences were delivered. "I hope the punishments will be served soon." 

Fahad was an undergraduate student at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, one of Bangladesh's most prestigious universities. All students handed death sentences were aged between 20 and 22 years old and attended the same university as Fahad.

However, three defendants still remain at large. The rest of the perpetrators appeared in the courtroom on Wednesday. A lawyer for the defendants said they would appeal their sentence.

What happened to Abrar Fahad?

In October 2019, Fahad was seen walking into the university campus dormitory with other students after he put up his Facebook post criticizing the Bangladesh government for signing a water-sharing deal with India.

The students who killed him were members of the youth wing of Bangladesh's ruling political party, the Awami League. 

The Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student group, had been widely accused of using violence against students at the time.

Death sentences are common in Bangladesh, with hundreds of people on death row. All executions are by hanging, a legacy of the British colonial era.

rm/sms (AFP, dpa)