A Dhaka court on Wednesday sentenced a woman to two years and seven months of imprisonment in a case filed under ‘Digital Security Act’ for hurting religious sentiment.

Dhaka Cyber Tribunal Judge AM Zulfiqar Hayat passed the order on Wednesday upon the defendant’s confessional statement.

Nazrul Islam Shamim, special public prosecutor of the court, said defendant Ishrat Jahan Reili Begum was a student of science department of Badrunnesa College.

“In November 2020, she made derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on Facebook. She pleaded guilty in court today (Wednesday) and apologised for her remarks.”

“Since the accused has a young child. And the defendant has voluntarily confessed to the crime. The court sentenced him to two years and seven months in prison,” he said.

However, the judge ordered the jail officials to release the convict if there is no other case pending against her, as she has already spent two years and seven months in prison.

Ishrat Jahan Reili, who has been in jail since November 6, 2020, was produced before the tribunal for hearing.

During the hearing, the judge said the accused had already spent a long time in jail.

“If the accused voluntarily confesses to the crime, then the jail time she already served can be declared as imprisonment,” the judge declared.

However, the defendant initially denied confessing to her offence after her lawyer Golam Mostafa Khan approached her.

The lawyer then explained to her that the police had filed a chargesheet and that the trial could not be concluded for many years to come. Later, she consented to voluntarily confess.

Ishrat Jahan Reili, 23, was arrested by RAB-4 on November 6, 2020, for making derogatory posts against Prophet Muhammad on Facebook. 

A case was filed with Darussalam Police Station under the Digital Security Act. Later, the chargesheet was filed in the case in 2022.