Death penalty

Bangladesh applies the death penalty for such crimes as murder, sedition and drug-trafficking.
In March 1998 the Bangladesh Cabinet has approved the death penalty for crimes against women and children including trafficking, rape and murder. The maximum punishment for such crimes was formerly 10 years in prison. In 1997 capital offences were extended to include hijacking of planes and sabotage.
On March 16, 2004 Parliament passed the Disruption of Law and Order Offences (Speedy Trial) Act 2004 to extend the term of the much-debated Speedy Trial Act created in 2002 for another two years following its expiry on April 9, 2004.
The law, approved by Parliament on March 13, 2002 and effective from April 10, 2002 instituted special tribunals and fast track trials (to take place within 90 days of the filing of a report) with the power to condemn to death people found guilty of violent crimes.
Home Affairs Minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, arguing for an extension of the life of the law, told the House that the country's law-and-order situation had improved following the re-classification of crimes such as terrorist acts, extortion and kidnapping under the speedy trial law.
The number of death sentences passed in Bangladesh increased significantly with the introduction of these courts. According to official sources in the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, the nine Speedy Trial Tribunals of the country dealt with 650 cases between October 2002, when they were set up, up to June 30, 2005. The tribunals passed death sentences on 311 people.
On the other hand, Sessions Judges' courts of the country sentenced 123 people with death punishment from 2001 until June 30, 2005. A total of 221 people were sentenced to death by different courts of the country until 2001 since independence. On the other hand, 80 people were given death sentence in 2002, 162 in 2003, 112 in 2004 and 80 in 2005 (up to June 30), the sources said.
The Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, on June 30, 2005, said there were 655 prisoners condemned to death in prisons scattered across the country. The government had only 53 cells for condemned prisoners with each cell originally made to accommodate only one convict.
Bangladesh resumed executions in 2001, after a de facto three-year suspension. Two men were hanged between February and March and another in November. One execution was recorded in 2002 and two people were put to death in 2003.
At least 13 people were sent to gallows in 2004 and at least five in 2005; four people were executed in 2006 an six in 2007.
On December 18, 2008 and December 21st, 2010, Bangladesh voted against the Resolution on a Moratorium on the Use of the Death Penalty at the UN General Assembly.

NEWS

March 22, 2011: justices Chowdhury and Hossain of the Bangladeshi High Court found that the July 21, 1976, execution of Col Abu Taher was illegal. The formation of the fake tribunal for the trial, the process of the trial and the punishments were illegal and invalid as the death sentence was not in Bangladeshi law at the time. Taher was sentenced for orchestrating a socialist uprising amongst soldiers by in a secret court martial inside Dhaka Central Jail. (Sources: bdnews24.com, 22/03/2011)

Death penalty for citizens abroad

June 5, 2011: The Kuwait Criminal Court sentenced three Bangladeshis to death for the premeditated murder of a compatriot taxi driver.
Case files indicate the suspects kidnapped the victim and set fire to him in a desert in Jahra, leading to his death.  Autopsy reports revealed the suspects beat the victim before burning him to death, while the results of investigations showed that they had been keeping sharp objects for a long time — a clear indication the killing was planned.
It has been reported the brutal killing was an act of revenge because the victim allegedly had an affair with the girlfriend of one of the suspects. The session was presided over by Judge Mohammad Al-Khalaf. (Sourcesi: Arab Times, 05/06/2011)

May 17, 2011: in the United Arab Emirates, the Federal Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of a Bangladeshi watchman for killing his employer and landlord in 2005. The owner discovered the watchman had been stealing rents the tenants handed him. He threatened to inform the police and deport him. After an argument the watchman allegedly stabbed him in the neck with a knife and stole Dh14,000. The Criminal Court of Ajman issued the death sentence and the Court of Appeal upheld the verdict. (Sources: Emirates247.com, 17/05/2011)

Death penalty for violent crimes

June 6, 2011: in Bangladesh, judge Mohammad Rezaul Islam of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-3 in Dhaka sentenced Mohammad Rubel and Mithun Chanda to death in absentia. Sadequr Rahman, 55, and his wife Romana Nargis, 45, were shot dead in Gulshan on March 24, 2010, when they refused Rubel's request to marry their daughter. (Sources: Daily Star, 07/06/2011)

May 31, 2011: in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Speedy Trial Tribunal judge Shahed Nur Uddin sentenced Mohammad Nasir, 26, and 'Yasin', 28 to death for fatally stabbing contractors Monir and Alam. They were ordered by Tillu Hajee after he had an altercation with the victims in Hazaribagh on June 1, 2007, over building a government culvert on his land in Charwaspur village. (Sources: Bdnews24.com, 31/05/2011)

May 26, 2011: in Dhaka, Bangladesh, additional district and sessions judge Rejaul Karim sentenced Mofajel Akon, 50, of Rajapur village in Sharankhola upazila, to death and fined him Tk 5,000 for killing his wife Shahavanu Beagum. Beagum was chopped to death with a sharp weapon following a family feud on October 21, 2008. (Sources: New Nation, 28/05/2011)

May 26, 2011: in Faridpur, Bangladesh, a court sentenced four people to death for killing two siblings in 2007. The four were identified as Lutfar Rahman Molla, 55, Pansur Molla, 45, Nuru Molla, 30, and Shamsuddin Molla, 55, of Alfadanga Upazila of the district. (Sources: Financial Express, 27/05/2011)

May 19, 2011: in Bangladesh, Additional Chittagong Metropolitan Sessions Judge La Mong sentenced Salauddin, alias Babu, 45, to death for killing Nurun Nahar at Sholoshahar under Khulshi thana of the city on November 3, 2004. Babu and his gang stole 100 tolas of gold ornaments and cash Tk 3.5 lakh from her house. (Sources: United News of Bangladesh, 20/05/2011)

April 7, 2011: in Kushtia, Bangladesh, women and children repression prevention tribunal judge Akbar Hossain Mridha sentenced Manik Mollah, 24, of Dakkhin Bhobanipur village in Kumarkhali upazila, to death for killing his wife Rashida Khatun, 18, to death over a family feud on September 6, 2007. (Sources: United News of Bangladesh, 07/05/2011)

March 30, 2011: in Sylhet, Bangladesh, Additional District and Sessions Judge M Najir Ahmed sentenced Abdul Mannan, of Balijuri village, Harun Mia, of Bagirghat village and Masuk Mia alias Kochir, of Islampur village, to death. On June 29, 2003, the three intercepted businessman Sona Mia, of Balijuri village, at Hilalpur, fatally shot him and stole his money. (Sources: United News of Bangladesh, 30/03/2011)

March 21, 2011: in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Judge Md Rezaul Islam of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-4 sentenced Pallab Bepari, Ameer Hossain, Siplu and Ariful Hasan to death for killing Jubo League leader Mohammad Jamal on July 17, 2009, at Kacharighat Bazar, in Dohar upazila, over an old enmity. Hasan and Siplu were sentenced in absentia. (Sources: Daily Star, 21/03/2011)

March 11, 2011: in Bangladesh, three people were sentenced to death kidnapping and killing schoolboy Tanjirul Islam Mishelin from Dania under Shyampur police station on July 5, 2003, for ransom. His decomposed body was recovered from a water-body at neighbouring Rasulbagh Zia Sarani 14 days later. (Sources: Financial Express, 11/03/2011)

March 2, 2011: Robi Munda, 60, from Habiganj, was executed in Sylhet Central Jail in Bangladesh for killing Nandalal Jhara with an axe in February 2000. Habiganj District and Sessions Judge AKM Ishtiaq Hossain sentenced Munda and his father Amar Singh Munda to death on September 24, 2003, the high court upholding the verdict. Munda's clemency petition was rejected on February 13, 2011.
Amar Singh died of old age complications, while in Sylhet jail, five years ago. (Sources: Daily Star, 04/03/2011)

January 24, 2011: Sirajganj, Bangladesh, District and session judge Salma Bhanu sentenced BNP activists Prince, Shamim, 22, Hitler, 23, Khaleq and another person named Shamim, 23, all from Chalita Danga village of Kazipur upazila, to death and fined them Tk 10,000 for the murder of Jubo League leader Imrul Kaiser Kanak in Kazipur upazila on October 27, 2001, over a political rivalry. Prince, Khaleq and Razzaq were tried in absentia. (Sources: United News of Bangladesh, 24/01/2011)

Death Sentences issued by Special Tribunals

April 27, 2011: in Kushtia, Bangladesh, a Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal Judge sentenced two men to death in absentia for killing their wives for dowry in separate verdicts. Alam Malitha, 30, resident of Joyrampur village in Daulatpur upazila, allegedly strangled Hajera on September 14, 2008. Sakim, 32, a resident of Barkhada village in Sadar Upazila, allegedly strangled Banu on August 23, 2000. (Sources: Financial Express, 30/04/2011)

January 27, 2011: in Gopalganj, Bangladesh, Tuhin Kazi of Manikhar village was sentenced to death by Judge Golam Morshed of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal for killing his wife Mina Sultana for dowry on August 10, 2007. (Sources: United News of Bangladesh, 27/01/2011)

January 17, 2011: in Satkhira, Pakistan, Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal Judge SM Rezanur Rahman sentenced Ruhul Amin, 30, of Telkara village in Kolaroa upazila, to death for killing his wife Zannatul Ferdous, 23, on May 9, 2007, after torturing her for dowry money. (Sources: United News of Bangladesh, 17/01/2011)