High Court upholds sentence of one convicted in Aseel’s murder

High Court has ruled to uphold the prison sentence issued against one of the assailants who was convicted of terrorism in connection to the 2014 murder of Aseel Ahmed, 19, Blueniyaage, Th. Thimarafushi.

The two assailants, both of whom who had been 16 years at the time of the murder, were sentenced to 13 years and four months in prison by the Juvenile Court on July 20, 2016. The High Court ruled to uphold the sentence against one of them, who will become 22 years of age this February, last week.

According to the original charge, Aseel had been with a group of other young boys in front of the Agora Express Shop located in Male’, at approximately 8:45 pm on August 23, 2014, when he, along with the rest of his companions, were attacked with sharp-edged weapons by the two assailants, who had been 16 years at the time, and a group of others.

The High Court, in its ruling, noted that some of the witness, who included people to whom the two had been well-known to, had testified that they were able to positively identify them as the assailants despite the fact that they had had their faces covered.

One of the secret witnesses testified to hearing another person who took part in the attack calling the assailant, whose sentence the High Court had decided to uphold, by his nickname.

The High Court found there hadn’t been sufficient evidence submitted by the defense to mitigate the testimony.

Aseel sustained multiple stab wounds in the attack, and had multiple procedures done on him including a leg amputation. He died in the ICU of IGMH Hospital seven days later, on August 29, 2014.