Bangladesh tribunal sentences seven Awami League leaders to death over 2024 protests

Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal sentenced seven senior Awami League leaders to death over the 2024 protest crackdown. The ruling deepens the post-uprising reckoning as fair trial concerns continue to shadow the cases.

In Short

• The tribunal said the leaders planned repression through meetings and statements
• All seven were tried in absentia with state-appointed defence lawyers
• The case stems from protests that unseated Sheikh Hasina in August

Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal-2 on Tuesday sentenced seven senior leaders of the banned Awami League to death for crimes against humanity over their alleged roles in directing, inciting or facilitating violence during the 2024 student-led protests, known as the July Uprising. The three-member tribunal, headed by Justice Mohammad Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, delivered the verdict in their absence.

Those sentenced include Awami League General Secretary and former road transport minister Obaidul Quader, Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, former state minister for information and broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat, Jubo League Chairman Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, its General Secretary Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil, Bangladesh Chhatra League President Saddam Hussain and its General Secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Enan. All seven were represented by state-appointed defence lawyers.

The tribunal framed seven charges against the accused on January 22 and the trial began on February 17. Prosecutors said the seven tried to suppress the protesters by issuing instructions, making provocative and inciting statements, and holding meetings where plans for violence were discussed. They also alleged that the accused were involved in armed attacks, severe repression and efforts to control the media in different places, contributing to killings, attempted killings and widespread violence across the country.

The case is linked to the 2024 protests that eventually toppled the government of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5, 2024. Hasina fled Bangladesh that day and has since been living in India. In November 2025, the tribunal sentenced Hasina and her former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death in absentia for crimes against humanity over the crackdown on the student-led protests. The tribunal found Hasina guilty under the doctrine of superior command responsibility and held that she had allowed lethal force to be used against protesters.

The UN human rights office has estimated that as many as 1,400 people were killed in violence linked to the protests between July 15 and August 5, 2024. Hasina's death sentence drew international criticism, with legal experts and rights groups raising concerns over fair trial and procedural issues. Amnesty International said the trial and sentence did not deliver justice, while Human Rights Watch raised fair trial concerns, including over Hasina not being represented by a lawyer of her own choosing.

The International Crimes Tribunal was set up under the Hasina government in 2010 to prosecute crimes against humanity committed during Bangladesh's 1971 Liberation War. After the fall of the Hasina government, the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus amended the law governing the tribunal, including provisions giving it powers over political parties and affiliated organisations. Since the change of government, many cases have been filed across Bangladesh against Awami League leaders, ministers, lawmakers and activists, with many still awaiting trial.

Last month, Hasina said she was determined to return home in December to put the country on the "right track" and that she was not deterred by the threat of imprisonment or a death sentence. She made the remarks during an audio-only virtual press conference in New Delhi, her first public media interaction since fleeing to India. Tuesday's verdict adds to the series of tribunal cases arising from the violence during the 2024 protests and the political upheaval that followed.

With PTI Inputs

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