Bangladesh: High Court Overturns Lower Court’s Verdict, Acquits All In 2004 Attack On Sheikh Hasina

In a landmark decision, the High Court in Dhaka overturned a lower court’s verdict and acquitted all accused individuals, including Tarique Rahman, the son of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, and former State Minister Lutfozzaman Babar, in the 2004 grenade attack case targeting a rally of ousted premier Sheikh Hasina.

The High Court bench, comprising Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain, declared the trial court’s judgment “illegal” and acquitted all 49 accused. This decision came after reviewing death references and appeals related to the case.

The court emphasized that the earlier ruling was based on a confession by Mufti Abdul Hannan, a leader of the banned group Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI), which was obtained under duress and lacked proper examination by the magistrate.

The 2004 Attack

The grenade attack occurred on August 21, 2004, during an Awami League rally at Bangabandhu Avenue, Dhaka. It left 24 people dead and injured nearly 300 others. Sheikh Hasina, then the opposition leader, narrowly escaped the assassination attempt.

The attack was reportedly a premeditated attempt to eliminate the Awami League’s leadership. Nineteen people, including Lutfozzaman Babar, were sentenced to death by a Dhaka court in 2018, while Tarique Rahman, now in exile in London, was sentenced to life imprisonment along with 18 others.

The court criticized the lack of specific evidence against the accused and ruled that the confession lacked evidentiary value. Defense lawyers argued for the verdict to be nullified, citing insufficient evidence. However, the State had requested the High Court to uphold the trial court’s decisions, asserting that the allegations were proven beyond doubt.

The 2004 grenade attack marked a significant turning point in Bangladesh’s political history. Analysts described it as a “barbaric act” intended to dismantle the Awami League leadership, with Sheikh Hasina as a primary target.

The investigation involved the FBI and implicated high-level directives protecting the perpetrators. A former intelligence agency chief testified that the attackers received protection under orders from top authorities.

The High Court’s decision follows significant political shifts, including a student-led uprising that ousted Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024. After stepping down, she fled to India, and Professor Muhammad Yunus was sworn in as the chief adviser of the interim government shortly thereafter.