Actor Riaz denied bail in 2 July murder cases

Actor Riaz has been denied anticipatory bail in two murder cases filed over the July uprising.

Riaz appeared in person before the High Court on Thursday and sought anticipatory bail in the two cases.

After hearing, the court rejected his applications.

One of the cases was filed over an alleged attempt to kill Saifuddin Mohammad Emdad, a student of Government Alia Madrasah in the capital, during the anti-discrimination student movement. The case was filed on May 2, 2025, naming former prime minister Sheikh Hasina as the prime accused along with 200 others, including artists, journalists, teachers and political figures.

Earlier, on April 30, 2025, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Monirul Islam accepted the complaint and directed Shahbagh Police Station to register it as a first information report (FIR).

Actor Riaz is among 14 actors and actresses named in the case. The others include Ferdous Ahmed, Chanchal Chowdhury, Mamunur Rashid, Meher Afroz Shaon, Aruna Biswas, Jyotika Jyoti, Shamima Tusty, Shomi Kaiser, Saju Khadem, Ashna Habib Bhavna, Sohana Saba, Rokeya Prachi and Zayed Khan.

The case also names 15 journalists, including Kalbela Editor Santosh Sharma and ATN News journalist Munni Saha. Among the 13 teachers named are writer and academic Zafar Iqbal, former Jagannath University vice-chancellor Mizanur Rahman and historian Muntasir Mamun.

Activists Imran H Sarker and Lucky Akter have also been named as accused.

Riaz is also accused in another murder case filed in connection with the July uprising. He had sought anticipatory bail in both cases before the High Court on Thursday, but the court declined to grant him bail.