Convictions of leaders and activists of opposition parties, mostly from the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies, have continued ahead of the January 7 national election.
At least 1,724 opposition leaders and activists, mostly from the BNP, were jailed in different terms in separate cases by the courts in Dhaka between August and December, according to lawyers and court officials.
Among the convicts, 27 opposition people were convicted in August, 71 in October, 615 in November and 1,011 people in December.
Dhaka magistrate courts on Thursday sentenced 83 leaders and activists of the BNP and a leader of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami to different terms in jail in six cases filed on charges of violence in Dhaka.
Dhaka metropolitan magistrate Mohammad Jashim sentenced eight people, including the BNP’s joint secretary general Moazzem Hossain Alal and Jubo Dal former president Saiful Alam Nirob to three years in jail in a case filed on charges of torching a bus in Dhanmondi during hartal in 2013.
The other convicts are – BNP leaders Abdul Quader Bhuiyan Jewel, former president of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal Harun-or-Rashid, Obaidul Haque, Shahidul Islam Hira, and Ibrahim Hossain and secretary of Dhaka south unit Jamaat-e-Islami Shafiqul Islam Masud.
According to the case statement, police filed a case with Dhanmondi police station over setting a bus on fire on Sat Masjid road in Dhanmondi on December 1, 2013.
Meanwhile, metropolitan magistrate Moinul Islam sentenced 10 BNP people to two years in jail in a case filed with the Khilkhet police station in 2015.
The convicts are – Fazlul Haque Fazlu, Zahir Uddin Babu, Salauddin Darji, Md Shishir, Delwar Hossain, Tuhin, Mahfuzur Rahman Sajib, Anis, Habib Ullah, and Anwar.
The same court also sentenced nine BNP people to two years in jail in a case filed with Kotwali police station on charges of violence in 2018.
The convicts are – Sayeed Ahmed Rana, Saidur Rahman Liton, Md Sujan, Alamgir, Rajab Ali Pintu, Mollah Jodge, Mamun, Ashraful Amin, and Anwarul Azim.
Magistrate Moinul Islam also sentenced 12 BNP people to 52 months in prison in a case filed with Kamrangirchar police station in September 2018.
On the other hand, Dhaka metropolitan magistrate Saddam Hossain sentenced 26 BNP people to two years in prison in a case filed with Shahbagh police station on charges of violence in 2012.
Apart from this, Dhaka metropolitan magistrate Begum Shanta Aktar sentenced 18 BNP people to different terms of imprisonment in a case filed in 2012.
Police filed the case with Motijheel police station on charges of violence in July 2012 in Motijheel area of Dhaka.
The disposal of the political cases intensified after prime minister Sheikh Hasina, at a programme on October 21, asked lawyers to take prompt measures in arson attack related cases.
Most of the cases that ended in the conviction of opposition people were filed either by the police or by supporters of the ruling Awami League between 2013 and 2018.
BNP leaders and lawyers accused the ruling AL government for hastening the trial of the cases ahead of the January 7 election.
BNP’s international affairs secretary Masud Ahmed Talukder told New Age that the lower courts were delivering the verdict against the BNP people in the political cases following the instruction of the government.
However, Dhaka metropolitan sessions judge court additional public prosecutor Taposh Kumar Pal said that these were not political cases and filed against BNP people for specific reasons.
