The documents of the much-talked Xulhaz Mannan and Khandaker Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy murder case reached the High Court (HC) on Monday as death reference to examine the trial court verdict that sentenced six people of banned extremist group Ansar Al Islam to death.
"Officials concerned of the HC received the documents of the case, including the judgement, as Peshkar of the Dhaka Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal brought those. The HC authorities will now prepare paper books for hearing the death reference," Md Saifur Rahman, special officer of the HC, told journalists.
If a lower court sentences any person to death in a case, its judgment is examined by the HC through hearing arguments for confirmation of the death sentence. The case documents and judgment reach as death reference to the HC from the lower court in 13 days after the latter delivers the verdict.
On August 31, the Dhaka Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal sentenced to death six people of banned extremist group Ansar Al Islam for the murder of LGBT rights activist Xulhaz Mannan and his theatre activist friend Khandaker Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy in Dhaka on April 25 in 2016.
The tribunal Judge, Mojibur Rahman, in the short judgement, concluded that the banned extremist group had decided to kill Xulhaz and Tonoy for holding a LGBT rally and campaigning to establish LGBT rights.
Xulhaz was the founder of Bangladesh's first and only LGBT-themed magazine Roopbaan.
Xulhaz, an USAID official, also served as a protocol officer for the US Ambassador in Dhaka.
The tribunal sentenced to death Arafat, dismissed army Major Zia alias Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haque, Rahman Siam, Mozammel Hossain Saimon, Sheikh Abdullah alias Jubair, Asadullah alias Foyjul and Akram Hossain. It also fined Tk 50,000 each.
Muzammel, 25, of Mymensing, Arafat, 24, of Nilphamari, Abdullah, 29, of Chattogram and Asadullah, 25, of Jhenaidah are in jail.
The others were tried in absentia as they are still absconding.
The tribunal acquitted two others - Sabbirul Haque Chowdhury of Chattogram and Junaid Ahmed of Habiganj - of the charges.
The detained four convicts had confessed to the crime.
The attack was carried out at Xulhaz's flat in the capital's Kalabagan on April 25 in 2016, when he along with his friend Tonoy and another LGBT worker were hanging out in the evening. His mother, a domestic help and the third LGBT worker survived the attack.
Al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent endorsed the attack while the Bangladesh counter-terrorism officials said that the 'Al Qaeda-inspired' Ansar Al Islam was behind the attack.
