The High Court on Monday commuted the death sentence of seven militants to jail till death in Holey Artisan café attack case.
An HC bench of Justice Shahidul Karim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman commuted the punishment of the seven condemned convicts dismissing an appeal and death reference.
The seven convicts are - Jahangir Hossain, Aslam Hossain Rash, Hadisur Rahman, Rakibul Hasan Regan, Md Abdus Sabur Khan, Shariful Islam Khaled, and Mamunur Rashid Ripon. They are now behind the bars.
On the night of July 1, 2016, five armed men stormed the café, frequented mostly by foreigners and took the diners there as hostage. At one stage, they started killing some of the hostages one by one. Islamic State terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack, but the government of Bangladesh vehemently denied any presence of the organisation in the country.
Bangladesh authorities responded with a brutal crackdown on the militants after the gruesome attack.
A special anti-terrorism tribunal sentenced seven people to death on November 27, 2019, for their involvement in the attack. One was acquitted.
According to the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), death penalties ordered by the lower court are examined by the HC before the punishment is confirmed.
