Bangladesh sentences two former police officers to death for killing student leader

Dhaka. Bangladesh sentenced two former police officers to death on Thursday for the murder of student leader Abu Sayed, who led the 2024 uprising that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's autocratic government.

Sayed was 23 when he died in the northern city of Rangpur. He was the first student leader killed during the police crackdown on the protests.

Footage of his final moments, standing with his arms outstretched before being shot at close range by police on July 16, 2024, was repeatedly broadcast on Bangladeshi television after Hasina's fall.

Prosecutors had charged 30 people in connection with the killing, ranging from murder to command responsibility and criminal enterprise. Only six are in custody, including the two sentenced to death.

Chief Prosecutor Aminul Islam told reporters, "Sayed sacrificed his life to free the country from autocratic rule. All 30 people charged in his murder have been convicted."

District police officers Amir Hossain and Sujan Chandra Roy were sentenced to death. Their lawyer, Azizul Haque Dulu, told reporters that he would file an appeal on their behalf.

The court sentenced 28 others, including the vice-chancellor of Begum Rokeya University where Sayed studied, to prison terms. A leader of the now-banned Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of Hasina's Awami League, was also sentenced.

While some face up to 10 years in prison, Sayed's brother Ramzan Ali and the martyr's family have demanded harsher punishments for the guilty. He told AFP, "The court has given light sentences to senior police officers and Chhatra League leaders. We will file an appeal against this."