“A court in southwestern Bangladesh sentenced 56 border guards on Monday to prison terms of up to seven years for their role in last year’s mutiny over pay disputes and other grievances in which 74 people were killed. The sentencing followed similar verdicts on Sunday on 57 defendants in eastern Bangladesh, and verdicts earlier this month on 79 defendants in northern Bangladesh. Only mutiny charges have been dealt with so far. Those accused of crimes like murder and arson will be tried separately.”
The Washington Post ran the AP piece in its entirety and through it provided some helpful context to the story, though the facts going forward remain the same.
The following quoted passages might help the lay and the interested reader understand the context and content of the proceedings:
“The mutiny occurred just two months after the country’s powerful military, which has backed 21 coups in the country’s 38-year history, relinquished power to a civilian government under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.”
“The military was furious with how Hasina handled the mutiny, which was ended through negotiations, including offers of amnesty. But when dozens of bodies – including those of dozens of commanding officers – were discovered dumped into shallow graves or sewers on the sprawling compound, the government rescinded the amnesty offer for those who led the mutiny.”
