A court on Dhaka on Sunday sentenced 11 people to jail for 20 years each for attempting to assassinate Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 1989, the Dhaka Tribune reported.
The 11 accused – all members of the Bangladesh Freedom Party – were also sentenced to life imprisonment for hurling bombs at Hasina’s home in Dhaka the same day. They were also fined 20,000 taka (around Rs 15,600) each in both the cases. If they default on the fine, they will face six more months in prison.
One accused, Humayun Kabir, was acquitted because of lack of evidence.
“They wanted to make the Awami League leaderless by killing Sheikh Hasina,” said public prosecutor Abdullah Abu. “The court has ensured their punishment, and we are happy for that.”
Hasina was the leader of the Opposition in Bangladesh at the time of the assassination attempt.
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