HC upholds death to 5 in journo Aftab killing case

Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Wednesday upheld the death sentence of five persons for killing Ekushey Padak recipient photojournalist Aftab Ahmed in 2013. It also upheld the trial court verdict that sentenced another accused to seven years’ imprisonment in this case.
The HC bench of Justice Jahangir Hossain and Justice Md Bashir Ullah delivered the judgement after holding hearing on the death references and appeals filed by the convicts in the case.
The death convicts are Billal Hossain, Habib Howlader, Raju Munshi, Rassel and Humayun Kabir, the driver of Aftab’s car. Among the convicts, Raju and Russel are absconding. Accused Sabuj Khan got seven years’ imprisonment.
The 79-year-old photojournalist, Aftab Ahmed, was found dead at his residence in the Dhaka’s West Rampura on December 25 in 2013. A Dhaka tribunal on March 28, 2017 sentenced five accused to death and one accused to seven years’ imprisonment.
Later the convicts who are in jail filed separate appeals with the HC challenging the trial court verdict against them. At the same time death references came for approval. After hearing on the death reference and appeals the HC delivered verdict on Wednesday.
Attorney General AM Amin Uddin and Deputy Attorney General Samira Tarannum Miti appeared for the state in the court hearing, while lawyers Khandker Mahbub Hossain, SM Shahjahan and Md Helal Uddin Mollah argued for the convicts.
Aftab Ahmed worked in different media outlets including The Daily Ittefaq. He was awarded Ekushey Padak in 2006 for his rare photography during and after the Liberation War in 1971.