Summary All seven convicts are currently at large, with reports stating that they are living in self-imposed exile in India and the United States
DHAKA (Web Desk) – A Bangladesh court on Tuesday sentenced seven senior aides of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death for crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the 2024 uprising that led to the fall of her government.
The verdict was delivered by a three-member bench of the Dhaka-based International Crimes Tribunal, headed by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury.
All seven convicts are currently at large, with reports stating that they are living in self-imposed exile in India and the United States.
Those sentenced include former Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, former State Minister for Information Mohammad Ali Arafat, Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Youth Wing Chairman Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, Youth Wing General Secretary Moinul Hossain Nikhil, Student Wing President Saddam Hussain and General Secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Enan.
The tribunal also ordered the confiscation of half of the assets belonging to Quader, Nasim, Arafat and Parash. The seized assets will be used to compensate families of people who were killed or injured during the July uprising, according to the verdict.
Hasina herself was sentenced to death by the same tribunal last November over crimes against humanity and her alleged role in the violent crackdown during the protests that ultimately forced her government from power.
The United Nations has estimated that at least 1,400 people were killed and thousands more injured during the unrest, which involved security forces and supporters of Hasina’s Awami League.
Hasina fled Bangladesh and has been living in neighbouring India. She has nevertheless said she intends to return to Bangladesh in December.
With the latest verdicts, 68 people have now been convicted across seven judgments issued by the two tribunals, while 22 have received death sentences. Eighteen of the accused remain at large, while four are currently in custody.
