It's been seven months since a court handed down capital punishment to the seven convicts for the grisly terror attack on Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka's Gulshan diplomatic district. But the verdict has not been executed yet as the paper book on the death references is still in the works, bdnews24.com reports.
The process of printing the paper book at the BG Press hit a snag due to the coronavirus epidemic, according to officials.
But the work is now in its final stages, said Mohammed Saifur Rahman, spokesman for the Supreme Court.
Section 374 of the Code of Criminal Procedure stipulates that a death sentence passed by a court cannot be executed unless it is confirmed by the High Court Division in a hearing. The sessions court is required to send the verdict to the High Court within a week of delivering it.
Accordingly, the death sentences meted out by the anti-terrorism tribunal in Dhaka on November 27 last year over the killings of 22 people were sent to the High Court in the form of death references on December 05.
Upon its receipt, the documents were passed on to the High Court Division's death reference branch. The documents were then scrutinised further and sent to the BG Press to be printed as a paper book for the hearing.
"The death references on the Holey Artisan case, the copy of judgment and other relevant documents were sent to the BG Press in February. I don't know what stage the work is at. The coronavirus crisis has put a halt on everything. Maybe that's why the work on the paper book has stalled," said an official at the death reference branch, asking not to be named.
Saifur, also a special officer of the High Court Division, said, "The publication of the paper book is in its last stage. It's in BG Press. We will get it once the coronavirus situation improves. The next steps will be taken after that."
Asked about the progress of the case, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said he and his office are eager to find a quick resolution to the matter. But they have to wait until the paper book is prepared to proceed.
"The state has taken this case very seriously. Without the coronavirus epidemic, the paper book could have been ready by now. It may have reached the hearing stage. Now we're having to wait for the paper book," he said.
The gruesome attack on Holey Artesan four years ago tainted Bangladesh's image abroad as a liberal, democratic, non-communal and secular country, according to Alam.
"The attack targetting both locals and foreigners was carried out to prove the existence of Islamic fundamentalism and elements of Islamic State here in Bangladesh. Therefore, the image of the country also hinges on the resolution of the case."
Alam added that the state will do its utmost to preserve the tribunal's verdict in the High Court.
Unprecedented
The suicide attack on Holey Artisan Bakery, a trendy eatery popular with the expatriates, on July 01, 2016, by a group of young Islamist militants was carried out amid a surge in extremism across the globe.
It forced Bangladesh, built on secular ideals, to divert huge resources and efforts to tackle terrorism.
It also revealed how young men from wealthy families and schooled in famed institutions were leaving homes to join militancy.
The attackers targeted the high-street joint because it was a huge hit with foreigners for its food, lakeside view, and green lawn.
It was a Friday, a weekly holiday during Ramadan, just a week before Bangladesh was to celebrate its biggest religious festival.
The five young attackers, armed with pistols, sub-machine guns, sharp weapons, and grenades, stormed into the cafe around 8:45pm and started an overnight siege.
As the international media started covering the biggest story of the day, many were still held hostage inside the café.
The militants slaughtered and shot dead 20 diners, including nine Italians, seven Japanese, a US citizen and an Indian. Two police officers were killed in grenade blasts as they tried to take on the assailants inside the cafe. Two employees of the eatery also died in the attack.
In an army operation codenamed ‘Thunderbolt’, para-commandos rescued 13 hostages, killing all five attackers and a chef. A kitchen worker succumbed to his injuries later.
The law-enforcement killed a number of top militant suspects, including eight masterminds behind the cafe carnage, in raids on terror hideouts across the country as part of a crackdown on militancy.
