A Dhaka court today (September 14) sentenced two officials of rights body ‘Odhikar’ to two years imprisonment each in a case filed under ICT Act.

The two are Odhikar secretary Adilur Rahman Khan and its director ASM Nasiruddin Elan.

Judge AM Julfiker Hayet of Dhaka Cyber Tribunal passed the order.

The court also fined Tk 10000, in default of which, Adilur and Elan have to serve one month in jail.

The case was filed for running "a distorted report and doctored images" about the May 5-6, 2013 police action on a Hefajat-e-Islam rally in the capital's Motijheel.

Earlier on August 24, the tribunal had fixed today for pronouncing the verdict after closing arguments from both the prosecution and the defence.

The tribunal recorded statements of 22 prosecution witnesses, including complainant of the case.

The tribunal framed charges against the duo on January 8 of 2014.

The two accused are the rights body's secretary Adilur Rahman Khan and director ASM Nasiruddin Elan.

On June 10 of 2013, detectives filed a general diary with the Gulshan Police Station in this connection, which was later converted into a case.

Adilur was arrested at Gulshan on August 10, 2013 shortly after filing the GD complaining that the rights body on its website ran a false report titled "Assembly of Hefajat-e Islam Bangladesh and Human Rights Violation".

Odhikar's report claimed that 61 people died in the wee hours of May 6 when the law enforcers flushed several thousand Hefajat activists out of Shapla Chattar in Motijheel. The government, however, put the number of deaths at 13.

BDST: 1512 HRS, SEP 14, 2023
MSK/SMS