Couple Sentenced to Death for Rape and Murder of Girl in Bangladesh
- Human Rights Research Center
- 4 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Author: Tasreba Chowdury
June 11, 2026
While HRRC does not endorse the death penalty, we do commend the prompt delivery of justice in the rape and murder trial of eight-year-old Ramisa Akter. We encourage further enforcement of efficient and high-quality future investigations as well as proceedings in similar cases. We also urge increased protection involving both legal and societal safeguards for vulnerable women and children to ensure incidents such as this one do not happen again.
![[Image credit: The Daily Star]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f05ed1_c466b5282794462a964473bb7a501dd8~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_144,h_81,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_avif,quality_auto/f05ed1_c466b5282794462a964473bb7a501dd8~mv2.jpg)
On June 7, 2026, a trial court in Dhaka, Bangladesh, sentenced a couple to death for the rape and subsequent murder of eight-year-old Ramisa Akter. Additionally, the accused couple, Sohel Rana and his wife Swapna Khatun, were fined Taka 5 lakh (approximately 4,069.57 USD) and Taka 2 lakh (approximately 1,627.83 USD), respectively. Crowds gathered outside the court to hear the verdict of the case, which has sparked nationwide outrage and has highlighted concerns of violence against women and children. The verdict was delivered just five days after the hearings began, making this the fastest murder trial in the country’s history.
Ramisa, who was a second-grade student at Popular Model High School, was found dismembered in Rana’s home in Dhaka’s Pallabi area on May 19, 2026. The following day, the victim’s father, Abdul Hannan Molla, filed a case with the Pallabi Police Station. The case statement reported that Rana lured Ramisa into his room before he raped her. Investigators noted that he later murdered her before fleeing. He was later detained that same day in Fatullah, while his wife was detained at their home.
The charge sheet was submitted by a sub-inspector, Ohiduzzaman of the Pallabi Police Station, before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s (CMM) Court in Dhaka. Rana was charged with rape, murder, and destruction of evidence, while Khatun was charged with destruction of evidence, provision of false information, and assistance in the offence. That same day, the CMM Court transferred the case to the Children Violence Suppression Tribunal, established under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act. The tribunal is currently handling over 1,800 cases involving violence against children, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and other crimes. Just over a week later, on June 1, the tribunal formally presented the charges in the Ramisa Aktar case, with testimony completed the following day.
During closing arguments on June 4, 2026, the prosecution sought the death penalty for the couple, while the state-appointed defense requested life imprisonment for Rana and a lighter sentence for Khatun. According to the defense, who also accepted the final verdict, Rana had confessed twice.
Under Bangladeshi law, death sentences from trial courts must be reviewed by the High Court before they can be carried out. Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman has expressed hope that the review and appeal proceedings could be carried out in three months if the relevant Supreme Court branch prioritizes the hearing.
The judge, Masrur Salekin, has noted that this case would be a crucial test of the country’s humanity, conscience, law enforcement, and rule of law. The Children Violence Suppression Tribunal has also stated that it expects efficient, high-quality investigations and judicial proceedings, such as this one, to serve as an example for future cases involving child abuse and violence.
Ramisa’s father has also expressed hope that every child victim receives swift justice and that “such incidents may never happen again” in the country.
Glossary
Abuse- an action that intentionally causes harm or injures another person. This can refer to physical abuse, psychological abuse, mental abuse, or child abuse.
Appeal- a challenge to a previous legal determination. An appeal is directed towards a legal power higher than the power making the challenged determination.
Charge- a formal accusation of criminal activity.
Charge sheet- an official document on which a police officer records the details of the crime a person is accused of.
Confess- to admit that you have done something wrong or something that you feel guilty or bad about.
Conscience- the sense or consciousness of the moral goodness or blameworthiness of one's own conduct, intentions, or character together with a feeling of obligation to do right or be good.
Court- any official tribunal presided over by one or several judges in which legal issues and claims are heard and determined.
Defense- the lawyer or lawyers who represent the defendant in a court case.
Detain- to hold them in custody, normally for a temporary period of time. Police in the United States, under Supreme Court precedent in Terry v. Ohio, may temporarily detain an individual if there is reasonable suspicion that the individual is armed, engaged in, or about to be engaged in criminal conduct.
Dismember- to cut, tear, or pull the arms and legs off the body of a dead person or animal.
Hearing- any formal proceeding before a court. The term usually refers to a brief court session that resolves a specific question before a full court trial takes place, or to such specialized proceedings as administrative hearings.
High court- a court of last resort.
Humanity- compassionate, sympathetic, or generous behavior or disposition: the quality or state of being humane.
Judge- an appointed or elected official who decides legal disputes in court. Judges are required to be impartial and unbiased in their decision-making.
Judicial- a descriptive term used to indicate that an action refers, relates, was made by, or pertains to a judge or court.
Lakh- the number 100,000
Law enforcement- the department of people who enforce laws, investigate crimes, and make arrests: the police.
Physical abuse- deliberately aggressive or violent behavior by one person toward another that results in bodily injury.
Prosecution- the action of commencing a criminal charge.
Proceeding- any method by which the authority of a court, tribunal, or administrative agency is invoked. The term broadly encompasses all procedural steps or means of seeking judicial or administrative relief, including individual motions, hearings, or stages within a larger legal action. In its broadest sense, a proceeding includes the regular progression of a lawsuit or the conduct of any formal legal process from initiation to resolution.
Rape- a crime at common law defined as unlawful sexual intercourse with someone without their consent and by means of fear, force, or coercion.
Rule of law- a set of laws that people in a society must obey, or the fact that such a set of laws exists.
Safeguard- a law, rule, or something that is done to protect someone or something from harm or damage.
Sentence- to decide and say officially what a punishment will be.
Sexual abuse- the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. Any sexual activity with children (persons under the age of 18 years) constitutes sexual abuse.
Taka- the basic monetary unit of Bangladesh
Testimony- oral or written evidence given by the witness under oath, affidavit, or deposition during a trial or other legal procedures.
Trial- a formal legal proceeding where legal claims are presented, evidence is examined, and witnesses are heard.
Trial court- any court that hears a case first, referred to as courts of original jurisdiction. A trial court makes both findings of fact and law through a full trial expounding the evidence of the case. The findings of law may be appealed to a higher court that has the power of review.
Verdict- the formal decision or judgment rendered by a court at the conclusion of a trial or legal proceeding. It represents the culmination of the entire legal process. Verdicts are reached by a judge or a jury, depending on the type of trial and jurisdiction.
Violence against children- includes all forms of violence against people under 18 years old. For infants and younger children, violence mainly involves child maltreatment (i.e., physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and neglect) at the hands of parents and other authority figures.
References