Bangladesh SC upholds Mujib killers' death penalties

Bangladesh's apex court on Thursday upheld the death penalties of all five of the convicts condemned for the 1975 killing of the country's founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, rejecting their final appeals.

Senior judge of the bench Tafazzal Islam delivered the verdict at the heavily guarded and crowded courtroom here, rejecting the leave to appeal prayers of five of the 12 convicted soldiers.

In line with the Supreme Court judgement, which was delivered in 15 minutes, all the 12 ex-army officers who were earlier handed down capital punishment would have to walk to the gallows.

In 1998, a Dhaka court had sentenced the men to death for the killing of Mujibur Rahman. The five petitioned the Supreme Court to commute their sentences. Seven others who were also convicted are fugitives abroad.

Rahman was assassinated along with most of his family members, including his 10-year old son Russel on August 15, 1975 in a predawn putsch that had also toppled the country's first government.