Dipan's Father Dies Waiting for Murder Verdict to Be Enforced
Faisal Arefin Dipan and Professor Abul Kashem Fazlul Haq
Professor Abul Kasem Fazlul Haq, president of the Bangla Academy, saw a court deliver a verdict in the murder case of his only son, Faisal Arefin Dipan. But he did not live to see the verdict implemented. He died on Sunday afternoon at a hospital in Mirpur, Dhaka. He was 86.
Dipan was murdered on October 31, 2015, at the office of Jagriti Prokashani on the third floor of Aziz Cooperative Super Market in the capital.
Devastated by the loss of his son, Professor Haq expressed his grief at the time, saying, “I do not seek justice. I seek the awakening of good sense. Those who engage in politics in the name of secularism and those who engage in politics in the name of a state religion are both harming the country. I hope both sides come to their senses. That is my only wish. What will imprisonment or execution achieve?”
He was deeply frustrated by the culture of impunity in the country. His reaction reflected a lack of confidence in the justice system. Although a court eventually delivered a verdict in the murder case, lengthy legal proceedings have prevented its implementation.
On February 10, 2021, Judge Md. Mojibur Rahman of Dhaka’s Anti-Terrorism Tribunal sentenced all eight defendants in the Dipan murder case to death.
The eight condemned men are Moinul Hasan Shamim, also known as Sifat Samir; Abdus Sabur, also known as Abdus Samad; Khairul Islam, also known as Jamil Rifat; Abu Siddiq Sohel, also known as Sakib Sajid; Mozammel Hossain, also known as Saymon; Sheikh Abdullah, also known as Zubair; dismissed Major Syed Ziaul Haque; and Akram Hossain, also known as Hasib. All are members of the banned militant organization Ansar al-Islam.
Among them, Zia and Akram had remained fugitives since the beginning of the trial. In November 2022, Moinul Hasan Shamim and Abu Siddiq Sohel escaped while being taken to appear before a Dhaka court in another case.
The death reference and jail appeals in the case reached the High Court within a week of the trial court’s verdict. They are still awaiting hearings.
Under Bangladesh’s legal procedure, death sentences handed down by trial courts require confirmation from the High Court before they can be carried out. This process is known as a death reference. Defendants also have the right to appeal death sentences imposed by lower courts.
High Court appeals are generally heard according to the year they are filed. Court officials say hearings are currently underway for appeals and death references filed in 2018. Since the Dipan murder verdict was delivered in 2021, the case may face a lengthy wait before being heard. However, the hearings could receive priority if state prosecutors request expedited consideration.
MABM Khairul Islam, who represented the defendants at the trial court, told Agamir Somoy that he had not been in contact with the accused since the verdict and was therefore unaware of the latest developments in the case.
Concerned that proceedings in the higher courts could drag on for years, Professor Haq had called for a speedy resolution of the case and swift execution of the verdict.
Reacting to the verdict at the time, he said, “Bangladesh used to be known as a country with a culture of impunity. Now various cases are being tried and verdicts are being delivered. A verdict has also been delivered in Dipan’s murder case, which is a positive development. The judge himself described it as an exemplary punishment. The charges against the accused were proven beyond doubt. However, the defendants will appeal to the High Court, and the case will then go to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court. There is a risk that the process will be prolonged. I certainly want the case resolved quickly and the verdict implemented as soon as possible.”
He also said at the time, “Dipan is gone, and we are still alive. We failed to save him. We will never get Dipan back. The pain and suffering are endless. As a father, that realization causes immense anguish. Still, this verdict gives us some measure of comfort. Beyond that, our family has little else to hold on to. To establish the rule of law in the country, every crime should be prosecuted and those truly responsible should be punished.”
