Sefat Ullah, aka Sefuda, acquitted of charges related to insulting comments on Hasina, Islam

The hearing was held with Sefatullah residing in Austria and spreading his hateful words from there

A tribunal has acquitted Sefat Ullah, an expatriate Bangladeshi widely known as Sefuda who insulted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Islam, in a case under the Digital Security Act.

Dhaka Cyber Tribunal Judge AM Zulfiqar Hayat delivered the verdict on Tuesday, citing a lack of witnesses, said bench clerk Nazmul Islam Shamim.

Plaintiff Alim Al Razi, a lawyer, was the first to testify in the case on Jun 6. Five others also testified in court.

Shamim said warrants were sent to Sefat Ullah’s village home in Chandpur, not his current address in Austria through the Interpol.

The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit of police said in the chargesheet that Sefat Ullah uploaded several videos online, which went viral. He hurt religious sentiments in these videos. He also uttered verbally abusive, obscene and offensive words about Hasina.

By spreading such defamatory statements, he caused conflict among different groups, which contributed to the deterioration of law and order in the country, police said.

The tribunal indicted Sefat Ullah in November 2021 after the case was filed in April 2019.

Sefat Ullah has been residing in Vienna for a long time. He is known for his views and for using vulgar words in live videos on Facebook.