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Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- Fatiha Mashkura, 51, was acquitted by Bangladesh's Supreme Court after serving nearly 11 years in prison for her husband's 2015 murder.
- The Appellate Division overturned a High Court verdict that had confirmed her death sentence.
- The acquittal was based on the lack of eyewitnesses and the non-voluntary nature of her confession, which was recorded on audio before being presented to a magistrate.
Fatiha Mashkura, a 51-year-old woman, has been acquitted by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, ending nearly 11 years of imprisonment. She was convicted in the 2015 murder case of her husband, Ibrahim Abu Khalil Al Hafiz, in Sylhet.
my client is now receiving treatment at a hospital in Dhaka under the prison authorities.
The High Court had previously confirmed her death sentence, handed down by a trial court in 2016. However, a four-member bench of the Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury, nullified the High Court's decision. The apex court allowed her appeal, clearing the path for her release from Dhaka Central Jail.
The Appellate Division will issue an advance order as soon as possible for the release of Fatiha from the jail custody and she will get released after the jail authorities receive the order.
Fatiha's lawyer, SM Shahjahan, stated that the acquittal was granted due to the absence of eyewitnesses in the case and because her confession was not voluntary. He also pointed out that her statement was recorded on audio after her arrest, which is not legally permissible. Fatiha, who has been receiving medical treatment in a hospital under prison authorities, will be released once the jail authorities receive the court's advance order.
there was no eyewitness in the case and the confessional statement made by her about her involvement in the incident of killing was not voluntary.
Originally published by Daily Star. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.