Bangladesh court sentences 56 border guards to prison terms for 2009 mutiny

Bangladesh sentences border guards for 2009 mutiny

FENI, Bangladesh — A Bangladesh court has sentenced 56 border guards to prison terms ranging from four months to seven years for involvement in a deadly mutiny last year that left 74 people dead.

Judge Maj. Gen. Mainul Islam said Monday that 24 defendants were given the maximum seven-year imprisonment. An additional 32 were handed terms ranging from four months to five years.

He said they were found guilty of taking up arms, firing and blocking a road during the two-day mutiny in February of 2009. A total of 74 people were killed in the carnage.

Islam announced the sentences Monday in the southwestern district of Sathkhira.

The special court deals only with mutiny charges, and those accused of crimes like murder and arson will be tried separately.