Facebook status wishing Hasinas death earns Bangladesh lecturer six-month jail term

The High Court sentenced him six months jail as he ignored the summon ordering his personal appearance over his comments in the Facebook, deputy attorney general A B M Altaf Hossain told newsmen. He said the High Court Bench comprising Justice A H M Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik and Justice Jahangir Hossain,was yet to issue any order on the main allegation against the lecturer.

Khandaker,a lecturer of Information Technology at suburban Jahangirnagar University,is currently in Australia on an academic course but the court ordered the foreign office to take immediate steps to bring him back home through diplomatic channel.

The Bench also asked police to arrest Khandaker immediately on his return and the university authorities to take punitive action against him according to law,which could result in him losing his job.

Khandaker had posted the status on his Facebook account after deaths of filmmaker Tareque Masud and journalist Ashfaque Munier Mishuk in a road crash in August last year. He asked why Hasina was not dying when many others were dying in road accidents in the country. Everyone dies,why not Hasina? read the status,which Khandaker,deleted after the students wing of the ruling Awami League staged protests.