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In Bangladesh, 13 men charged over lynching

August 17, 2015

Police in Bangladesh have charged 13 men with murder over the lynching of a young teenage boy. The killing provoked national outrage after video footage of the attack went viral.

https://p.dw.com/p/1GGi1
The murder of Samiul Alam Rajon provoked protests in Bangladesh.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Uz Zaman

Police submitted the charges to a court in the northern city of Sylhet on Sunday over the killing last month of Samiul Islam Rajon, who was beaten to death by a mob after being falsely accused of stealing a bicycle.

The 13-year-old boy was tied to a pole and then subjected to a brutal assault in which he pleaded for his life. An autopsy found that he had suffered 64 separate injuries.

A 28-minute video of Samiul, which was widely circulated after being posted on social media, sparked a series of mass protests.

Attackers could face the death penalty

Ten men have been arrested since the July 8 killing and have confessed their involvement, detective Suronjit Talukder said Monday.

Another three, who fled the city, have also been charged in absentia with murder including Kamrul Islam, who was arrested in Saudi Arabia after officials received a tip from members of the country's large Bangladeshi expatriate community.

A foreign ministry official said he hoped the charge sheet would now prompt Saudi Arabia to speed up his repatriation.

If convicted of murder, the attackers could face the death penalty.

Thousands of people demonstrated in Samiul's home city and in a dozen other cities and towns in the days after the murder as outrage grew.

Samiul's father, Sheikh Azizur Rahman, said on Monday he would not rest "until the culprits get proper punishment."

His family says the boy is innocent of the accusation that he stole the bicycle. Police have also said that their investigation found no evidence of theft.

mh/kms (AFP, AP)