B'desh court acquits journalist in alleged 2015 plot to kill ousted PM Sheikh Hasina’s son
The Dhaka court ruled that charges against 'Amar Desh' editor Mahmudur Rahman were false and fabricated
Sajeeb Wazed (right), son of Bangladesh's ousted prime minister, Sheikh Hasina
Dhaka, Feb 11: A Bangladesh court has acquitted prominent journalist in a case related to an alleged 2015 plot to abduct and kill Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in the United States.
The Dhaka 4th Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge, Tarique Aziz, delivered the verdict, stating that the charges against Mahmudur Rahman, editor of the daily Amar Desh, were "false and fabricated". The ruling overturned a previous judgment that had sentenced him to seven years in prison in absentia in 2024.
Following the verdict, Rahman expressed relief, stating, "I finally got justice from the court and will continue my fight against fascism, which is also the country’s struggle."
In August 2023, a Dhaka court had sentenced Rahman in absentia along with journalist Shafik Rehman, Jatiyatabadi Samajik Sangskritik Sangstha Vice-President Mohammad Ullah Mamun, his son Rizvi Ahmed Caesar, and US-based businessman Mizanur Rahman Bhuiyan.
Rahman, who spent over five years in exile, returned to Bangladesh on September 27, 2023. Two days later, he surrendered to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in Dhaka and was subsequently jailed before being acquitted in Monday’s verdict.
The case against Mahmudur Rahman and others traces back to an alleged plot in 2015 to abduct and kill Wazed Joy.
The allegations emerged after US authorities arrested Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-linked businessman Rizvi Ahmed Caesar, who reportedly admitted to collecting confidential information about Joy. The Bangladesh government accused several opposition-linked figures, including journalists Mahmudur Rahman and Shafik Rehman, of conspiring in the plot.
In 2016, Rehman, a veteran journalist, was arrested in Dhaka, followed by the detention of Rahman, who had long been a critic of Hasina’s administration.
The case was seen by many as part of Bangladesh’s ongoing political struggle between the ruling Awami League and opposition forces, particularly the BNP. The government framed it as a serious security threat, while critics alleged it was a politically motivated crackdown on dissenting voices.