A special tribunal in Dhaka on Sunday, sent two Hizb ut-Tahrir members to jail for two years on charges of conspiring against the government, and acquitted four, including Hizb ut-Tahrir chief coordinator, Mohiuddin Ahmed alias Royal, in a case filed under the Anti-terrorism Act.
Judge Md Mujibur Rahman of the Anti-terrorism Special Tribunal of Dhaka, handed down the verdict acquitting the four accused, as allegations brought against them were not proven.
According to the case statement, several Hizb ut-Tahrir members distributed anti-government posters and leaflets to pedestrians on Road 2, Sector 2 of Uttara, on April 18 in 2010.
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The acquitted men are, Mohiuddin Ahmed alias Royal, who was an associate professor at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) of Dhaka University, Hizb ut-Tahrir members Md Abu Yusuf Ali, Tanvir Ahmed, and Kazi Morshedul Haque, alias Plabon. The accused were present in the courtroom.
Hizb ut-Tahrir joint coordinator, Touhidul Alam alias Chanchal, and its member, Saidur Rahman alias Razib, were sentenced to two years imprisonment in a case filed with Uttara model police station. They were also fined Tk5,000 each. Among those convicted, Razib and Chanchal were tried in absentia for the case.
Police arrested Tanvir, Razib, and Touhidul on the spot in Uttara and recovered some crude bombs in their possession. During interrogation they named Mohiuddin as the prime instigator of their action. Police later arrested Mohiuddin as well.
On September 27, 2016, Judge Kamrul Hossain Mollah of the Dhaka Metropolitan Session Judges Court, framed charges against six men of the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir, including its chief coordinator Mohiuddin Ahmed alias Royal, and five other members.
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Uttara model police station SI, Md Arman, filed a case against the six in this connection under the Anti-terrorism Act.
Investigating officer for the case, Detective Branch Inspector, Md Nurul Amin, submitted a charge sheet against the six accused on February 9, 2013.
Who is Mohiuddin?
On October 22, 2009, the government banned Hizb ut-Tahrir in Bangladesh, stating that the fundamentalist Islamist outfit posed a threat to national security.
Mohiuddin Ahmed alias Royal is the spokesman and chief coordinator of Hizbut-Tahrir. He was also an associate professor at the Institute of Business Administration of Dhaka University.
On October 25, the university authorities sent Mohiuddin on compulsory leave to maintain peace on campus.
Mohiuddin, that year, told the media: “We don’t support the current election system which only brings changes to leadership. It does not change the ideology or the government’s stance. So the government must be changed or uprooted through mass upheaval.”
