Tuesday marks the 9th anniversary of the terrorist attack and brutal murder at the Holey Artisan Bakery in the capital's Gulshan. During this time, the trial in the case has passed two stages. There is still one more stage left to get the final verdict.

Meanwhile, on October 30, 2023, the High Court reduced the death sentences of seven militants to life imprisonment. The full copy of the 229-page verdict was published on June 18, one year and eight months later. As a result, it is not known whether the state will appeal against the sentence reduced from death to life imprisonment. On the other hand, the defendants say that they will appeal to the Supreme Court to reduce the sentences if they receive a copy of the verdict. The Appellate Division will make the final decision.

The life-sentenced convicts in prison are Jahangir Hossain alias Rajiv Gandhi, Aslam Hossain alias Rash, Abdus Sabur Khan, Rakibul Hasan Rigyan, Hadisur Rahman, Shariful Islam alias Khaled and Mamunur Rashid Ripon.

The full verdict of the High Court said that the accused did not commit the crime under the section under which the trial court sentenced them to death. These accused were not directly involved in the murder. Death penalty cannot be given if they are involved in conspiracy and planning. Therefore, their death sentence was reduced to life imprisonment.

The court observed that the brutal and merciless killing of 20 citizens, both local and foreign, and two police officers in the Holey Artisan attack had severely tarnished the country's image in the outside world. The court also observed that such brutal killings had created extreme panic in the minds of the public and seriously disrupted public security.

On the night of July 1, 2016, suicide bombers from the neo-JMB carried out a brutal attack on the Holy Artisan Bakery in Gulshan. They took local and foreign guests hostage at gunpoint and killed 22 innocent people by hacking and shooting them. Two police officers were killed in their gunfire. Later, five militants were killed in a commando operation. The killings created a stir around the world. The Dhaka Anti-Terrorism Tribunal delivered its verdict in the case filed in this incident on November 27, 2019. The judge sentenced seven militants to death in the verdict. Later, the High Court reduced the sentences to life imprisonment following the appeal of the accused.