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Hundreds of Bangladeshi soldiers sentenced to death in mass verdict over mutiny
ABC Radio Australia - November 6, 2013
A Bangladeshi judge convicted and sentenced the soldiers over the mutiny in which 74 people, including officers, were hacked to death, tortured or burnt alive before their bodies were dumped in sewers and shallow graves.
At least another 350 of the 823 soldiers charged over the mutiny were sentenced to jail for their role in the 30-hour uprising that started at the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) headquarters in Dhaka.
"The atrocities were so heinous that even the dead bodies were not given their rights," judge Mohammad Akhtaruzzaman told the packed court as he read out the verdicts on Tuesday.
But Amnesty says the verdict is a "perversion of justice" which will only result in 152 more human-rights violations if the sentences are carried out.
"With these sentences, Bangladesh has squandered an opportunity to reinforce trust in the rule of law by ensuring the civilian courts deliver justice. Instead, the sentences seem designed to satisfy a desire for cruel revenge," said Polly Truscott, Amnesty's deputy Asia-Pacific director.
Some 823 shackled soldiers were earlier crammed into the specially built courtroom, sitting silently on long rows of benches to hear the long-awaited verdict. Families of 10 of the officers slain in the mutiny were also in court.
Prosecution 'largest of its type in world history'
An official probe into the mutiny blamed years of pent-up anger over ignored pleas for pay rises and improved treatment from ordinary troops, who resented their better-paid superiors.
Security was tight at the court, with hundreds of police and elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) officers deployed outside as a precaution. "We have deployed around 2,000 police and RAB officers in and around the court compound," said Harunur Rashid, the deputy police commissioner for Dhaka.
Lead prosector Baharul Islam said the case was the largest of its type in the world with hundreds of witnesses taking part in the trial that started in January 2011 and finished in October this year. "So far as we know it's the largest case in the world's history. There were 654 prosecution witnesses," Mr Islam said.
During the uprising, the mutineers stole an estimated 2,500 weapons and broke into an annual meeting of top BDR officers before shooting them at point-blank range. The BDR's head, Major General Shakil Ahmed, was among those killed.
They also stormed Ahmed's house on the base and killed his wife, domestic staff and guests, before setting fire to the building and stealing valuables, including gold jewellery.
Spread of mutiny threatened government
As the mutiny spread, it briefly threatened the new government, which had been elected only one month previously.
Nearly 6,000 soldiers have already been convicted by dozens of special courts over the mutiny that also involved other BDR bases around the country and left 57 top army officers among the dead.
The 823 soldiers were singled out for prosecution in a civilian court for leading the mutiny at the BDR headquarters, after earlier being found guilty in military courts over their role. Twenty-three civilians have also been charged with criminal conspiracy. (ABC/AFP)
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