Bangladesh: Islamist sentenced to life in prison for stabbing famous writer
In Bangladesh, Islamic extremists target and murder bloggers, secular writers or gay rights activists.
Since 2016, the authorities have waged a campaign of repression (illustrative image).
REUTERS/Andrew Biraj
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
The case shocked Bangladesh 4 years ago: the knife attack on one of the country's most famous writers by an extremist Islamist.
The assailant's trial was held on Tuesday, April 26, and he was sentenced to life in prison.
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“
I am not angry.
But I pity these young people who believe like him that they will go to heaven by doing this
, ”reacted to the announcement of the verdict Muhammad Zafar Iqbal.
In 2018, this writer, secular activist, critic of religious extremists, was stabbed on a university campus and seriously injured in the head and neck.
Facing the police, the assailant explained himself by designating Muhammad Zafar Iqbal as "
an enemy of Islam
".
At this time, between 2013 and 2016, attacks like this are on the increase in Bangladesh.
Islamist extremists sometimes linked to the Islamic State or al-Qaeda target and murder bloggers, secular authors or gay rights defenders.
A strong campaign of repression
But since then, the authorities have waged a campaign of repression.
Sometimes violent security operations led to the arrest of more than a thousand suspected extremists, a hundred others were killed.
The perpetrator of the attack on Muhammad Zafar Iqbal was found guilty of the attack and sentenced to life in prison under Bangladesh's anti-terrorism laws.
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