A Dhaka court on Tuesday sentenced five members of the banned militant organization Ansar al-Islam to death in a case lodged over the murder of writer Avijit Roy.
During the pronouncement of the verdict, the court in its observation said victim Avijit Roy had to pay with his life for expressing his opinions.
And the main aim of killing him was to hinder public safety, obstruct the freedom of expression, so that none can write anything freely and express their opinion in future.
Between 2013 and 2016 banned militant outfits unleashed a reign of terror across the country, killing freethinkers, secular bloggers and writers brutally, shocking the nation’s conscience.
We now expect that the members of different law
enforcement agencies will be able to nab the
absconding killers of Avijit in no time
The emergence of banned militant outfit and their extremist ideas had become a serious threat to Bangladesh but following the government’s zero tolerance policy against terrorism and drugs, over the last few years, law enforcing agencies have destroyed militancy with an iron-hand.
However, five other six cases filed over the killings of free thinkers, secular bloggers, writers and LGBT rights activists are either awaiting verdict or under trial. And we are expecting that the verdicts in five other similar murder cases will be pronounced soon.
We are satisfied to note that the trial in the murder case of Avijit has finally been concluded after six years of waiting. The way the incumbent government has brought the killers of Avijit to book is unprecedented in history. As the verdict of Avijit murder case has already been delivered, we now expect that the members of different law enforcement agencies will be able to nab the absconding death-row-convict major (sacked) Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haque alias Zia and others in no time.