CPJ welcomes Rajib murder verdict
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has welcomed the convictions in blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider murder case.
"The convictions in the murder of Ahmed Rajib Haider mark a long overdue but encouraging first step in addressing the violence directed against bloggers in Bangladesh," CPJ Asia Research Associate Sumit Galhotra said in a statement on Thursday.
"However, until the mastermind has been apprehended justice remains incomplete.
”If Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government is committed to protecting the country's independent voices, it must act decisively to deliver justice in the murders of other bloggers and ensure the protection of those who remain at risk," he added.
On Thursday, a Dhaka court handed down death penalty to two students for hacking Rajib to death in Mirpur three years ago.
One of the duo is Redwanul Azad Rana, a fugitive who was charged in absentia and described by the police as the mastermind, said the statement quoting media reports.
The court also sentenced Jashimuddin Rahmani, the leader of banned outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team, to five years in jail for "abetting murder" by inciting students to kill secular bloggers.
Rajib, also known as "Thaba Baba," wrote critically about Islamic fundamentalism and had covered mass protests known as the Shahbagh movement shortly before his murder, added the release.
Last year, four other bloggers and a publisher were hacked to death by Islamic extremists, claimed the statement basing on a CPJ research. To date, there have been no convictions in those cases.
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