Death penalties for 139 soldiers upheld in Bangladesh

The Bangladesh High Court has upheld the death sentences for 139 soldiers for their actions in a deadly 2009 mutiny, according to local media.

"One thirty-nine will have to walk to gallows and 146 will be imprisoned for life," the state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BBS) quoted attorney general Mahbubey Alam as saying following the High Court verdict.

The verdict comes four years after a lower court in capital Dhaka handed down capital punishments to 152 and life terms to 158 soldiers for their involvement in the killing of 74 people, including 57 army officials, on Feb. 25-26, 2009.

The court on Monday upheld the punishments for 139 defendants, commuting death penalties of eight to life terms and acquitting four others, BSS reported. Another accused had died during the trial.

The mutiny at the Bangladesh Rifles' (BDR) headquarters erupted when a group of the paramilitary forces staged a revolt during an annual meeting of soldiers with the top brass alleging "deprivation". The revolt turned into clashes and spread at the regional units of the BDR forces across the country.

The government later renamed the BDR as the Border Guard Bangladesh changing the border force's law, uniform flag and monogram.