Four individuals convicted in the killing of Begum Rokeya University student Abu Sayed have moved the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn their convictions and secure acquittal.
The appeals were filed on Wednesday by former Rangpur Metropolitan Police Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Amir Hossain, Constable Sujan Chandra Roy, former Assistant Registrar of Begum Rokeya University Rafiul Hasan Russell, and former Bangladesh Chhatra League joint general secretary Emran Chowdhury, also known as Akash.
Their lawyer, Advocate Azizur Rahman Dulu, confirmed the filing of the appeals to The Daily Star, saying the four appellants had challenged the judgement and claimed they were not involved in the offence.
Abu Sayed, a student of Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur, was shot dead by police on 16 July 2024 in front of the university campus during the July Uprising.
The International Crimes Tribunal-2 delivered its verdict in the case on 9 April this year, sentencing two individuals to death, three to life imprisonment, and 25 others to different terms of imprisonment.
Among those convicted, Amir Hossain and Sujan Chandra Roy were awarded the death penalty. Rafiul Hasan Russell and Emran Chowdhury were sentenced to five years in prison.
Amir and Sujan filed a joint appeal before the Appellate Division, while Rafiul and Emran submitted a separate appeal. All four individuals remain in custody.
Advocate Dulu said in the appeals that his clients had been wrongly convicted and that the prosecution had failed to present sufficient evidence linking them to the killing.
The Supreme Court’s Appellate Division will announce a date for hearing the appeals at a later stage.
The case has remained one of the most closely watched proceedings linked to the July Uprising, with Abu Sayed’s death becoming a major point of public attention during the movement.
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