Bangladesh court upholds death sentence for 139, life term for 185 in 2009 mutiny case
Xinhua
1511781014000

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A High Court Division Bench in Bangladesh on Monday upheld death sentence for 139 convicts and life imprisonment for 185 others of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), previously known as Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), for a 2009 mutiny which left 74 people dead including 57 officers from the Army.

Amid tight security, the High Court division bench of Justice Nazrul Islam, Justice Shawkat Hossain and Justice Md Abu Zafor Siddique delivered the mass verdict in the mutiny murder case, which is considered the largest of its type in the world.

The High Court division also awarded jail terms ranging from three to 10 years to 196 border guards.

Another 49 were acquitted of all charges. 

The High Court bench led by Justice Shawkat Hossain started announcing the 10,000-page verdict, with observations of over 1,000 pages, on Sunday morning.

All the accused have the right to appeal with the apex court against their convictions.

The former border guards had been accused of such offenses as killings, attempted murder, looting and arson committed during the horrendous mutiny.

The special courts of the BGB had earlier awarded jail terms ranging from four months to seven years to nearly 6,000 border guards.   

The trial of Bangladesh's border guards facing charges of mutiny crimes at the paramilitary force's headquarters began in 2011.

A Dhaka court on Nov. 5, 2013 awarded death to 152 BGB personnel. Some 161 people, including two leaders of ruling Bangladesh Awami League party and opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, were sentenced to life imprisonment.  

The BDR revolt, which took place less than two months after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took office for the second time, threatened the stability of her government and raised fears of military intervention.

The BDR soldiers staged revolt against their army officers reportedly over salary and other benefits.

An official probe into the mutiny said the incident is the outburst of many years of pent up grievances of the BDR soldiers over ignored pleas for pay hikes.

Prime Minister Hasina chose a negotiated settlement instead of calling in the army to quell the revolt.

During the mutiny, over 7,000 BDR personnel were reportedly at the headquarters of the paramilitary force which, with around 67,000 members, is guarding the country's long border line of 4,427 km with India and Myanmar.