Shawdesh Desk:

A Dhaka court has sentenced six members of banned militant group Ansar al Islam to death in a case filed over the sensational murder of LGBT activist Xulhaz Mannan and his associate Mahbub Rabby Tonoy.

Judge Mojibur Rahman of the Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal passed the order in presence of four accused on Tuesday.

The condemn convicts are Major (sacked) Syed Md Ziaul Huq, Akram Hossain, Mozammel Husain alias Saimon, Md Arafat Rahman, Md Sheikh Abdullah, and Asadullah alias Fakrul alias Faisal.

The court acquitted Sabbirul Haque Chowdhury and Junaid Ahmed alias Maulana Junaid as the charges against them could not be proven.

Two of the convicts – Zia and Akram– remained fugitive.

On August 23, the judge fixed the date for the delivery of the verdict after the completion of arguments from the prosecution and the defence.

The tribunal recorded statements of 24 prosecution witnesses in the case filed with Kalabagan police station in the capital.

On July 28, 2019, the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police submitted a charge sheet against the eight militants.

Three of the accused — Saimon, Arafat, Abdullah and Faisal — gave confession statements to magistrates.

According to the case statement, on April 25 in 2016, Xulhaz and Tonoy were hacked to death inside his apartment in Kalabagan area of the capital.

The attack was one of a series of militant-linked assassinations of secular activists and religious minorities. Investigation found Islamist militants responsible for the killings of Xulhaz and Tonoy.

Xulhaz, 35, joined the US embassy in 2007 before taking up what would turn out to be his last assignment at the USAID. He also edited Roopbaan, Bangladesh’s first LGBT magazine.

Tonoy, 26, was involved with the Lok Natyadal theatre group. He taught drama to children at an organisation called the People’s Theatre.

The case was filed by Xulhaz’s brother Minhaz Mannan against unidentified people with the local police station.