BANGLADESH: HC COMMUTES AZAM REZA'S DEATH SENTENCE

the Bangladeshi High Court commuted the death sentence of Azam Reza to a life term imprisonment in the murder of Jayanti Reza, Azam's wife. The HC bench, comprised of Justice AKM Fazlur Rahman and Justice ATM Fazle Kabir, delivered the verdict. The original sentence was handed down by Speedy Trial Tribunal-4 of Dhaka in 2005. The HC bench commuted the sentence because Azam was not a habitual offender. "There was an unhappy matrimonial relationship between Azam Reza and Jayanti Reza and it was the root of the offence. Even though there was a motive behind the killing, it was not a planned murder. So the punishment of the offender was reduced to life term imprisonment from death sentence," Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Nahid Mahtab said. Jayanti Reza, a teacher at the Australian International School, was killed on January 8, 2004. Police recovered her body hanging from the ceiling fan in their Banani house on January 9, 2004.