Bangladesh tribunal sentences 7 Awami League leaders to death for crimes against humanity linked to 2024 uprising

The Tribunal-2 court, headed by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, delivered the verdict on Tuesday.

The other leaders sentenced to death are Awami League Joint General Secretary Bahauddin Nasim; former State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat; Jubo League President Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash and its General Secretary Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil; and Chhatra League President Saddam Hossain and General Secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Enan.

According to the tribunal, the seven were accused of murder, incitement to violence and incitement to murder in connection with the student-led movement against the government of then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in July-August 2024. The court said the charges had been established and imposed the death penalty.

The verdict comes after Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal-1 sentenced Hasina to death in 2025 after finding her guilty of crimes against humanity committed during the uprising.

The tribunal found Hasina guilty on all five charges brought against her, including incitement, failure to prevent or punish atrocities, and ordering the use of drones, helicopters and lethal weapons against protesters.

Former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal were also accused alongside Hasina.

Hasina, 78, fled to India on August 5, 2024, following the fall of her government amid a mass student-led uprising.

The tribunal had earlier indicted Hasina, Kamal and Mamun on five charges, including incitement and ordering the killing of protesters, superior command responsibility and joint criminal enterprise.

The proceedings have drawn international attention, with the tribunal’s verdicts marking a major legal reckoning over the violence surrounding the 2024 uprising. (ANI)