Death sentences for former police officers not answer to Abu Sayed killing: Amnesty
The death penalty has no place in any courtroom. It’s the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.
Rehab Mahamoor, Amnesty International’s Regional Researcher and Campaigner, said this in a statement published on the organisation’s website on Friday.
He said this in response to the death sentences handed down to two former police officers by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) for the killing of Abu Sayed during student-led protests in July 2024.
According to him, “Abu Sayed and the many other victims of police violence during the July 2024 protests deserve justice and accountability. However, the death penalty has no place in any courtroom. It’s the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and its continued use by the ICT undermines efforts to deliver a just and lasting reconciliation to Bangladesh.
“In the past, Amnesty International and several other human rights organisations have also raised serious concerns that the ICT has not observed international fair trial and due process standards in many instances. Any proceedings undertaken by the ICT demand stringently impartial and transparent judicial proceedings.
“We urge the Bangladeshi authorities to take steps to establish a moratorium on the use of the death penalty, with a view to completely abolishing the punishment.”
Background
The ICT on Thursday handed death sentences to former assistant sub-inspector Amir Hossain and ex-constable Sujan Chandra Roy for their role in the killing of Abu Sayed, a student at Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur, during the July 2024 uprising.
A further 28 former officers were also given prison sentences, including three who were sentenced to life in prison.
In July 2024, Amnesty International verified evidence of unlawful use of lethal and less lethal weapons by Bangladeshi authorities against student protesters including the killing of Abu Sayed, and called for accountability without recourse to the death penalty.
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases, without exception as it violates the right to life enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.