Shishir Monir no longer to defend accused

Lawyer Mohammad Shishir Monir has announced that he will no longer represent the accused in the Abrar Fahad murder case.

He made the announcement in a Facebook post on Thursday (February 27).

In Facebook post, Shishir Monir officially announced his decision to withdraw from representing the accused in the Abrar Fahad murder case.

Abrar Fahad, a second-year student of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), was brutally beaten to death by leaders and activists of the university’s Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) unit on October 7, 2019. The attack took place at the Sher-e-Bangla Hall of BUET after Abrar posted a Facebook status criticizing an agreement between Bangladesh and India. His murder sparked nationwide protests and outrage, leading to BUET banning student politics.

Following the incident, Abrar’s father filed a case against 19 people, mostly BCL leaders and activists. The trial was conducted under the Speedy Trial Tribunal, and on December 8, 2021, the court sentenced 20 accused to death and five to life imprisonment. The case is now in the appeal process at the High Court, where the convicts have challenged their sentences, and the state is also seeking swift execution of the verdict.