Bangladesh Sentences Seven Senior Hasina Allies To Death Over 2024 Protest Crackdown

Bangladesh has sentenced seven senior allies of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death in absentia over their alleged roles in the deadly crackdown on the 2024 anti-government protests. The International Crimes Tribunal convicted the former Awami League officials of crimes against humanity, while ordering the seizure of part of their assets to compensate victims’ families. The 2024 uprising left as many as 1,400 people dead, according to the United Nations, and eventually forced Hasina to flee to India. The former prime minister, who was also sentenced to death in absentia in 2025, and the Awami League have rejected the proceedings as politically biased.

A Bangladesh tribunal has sentenced seven senior figures from former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League to death in absentia over their roles in the deadly crackdown on the 2024 student-led uprising that eventually brought down her 15-year government.
The International Crimes Tribunal-2 in Dhaka convicted the seven men of crimes against humanity linked to killings and other violence during the July-August 2024 protests.
Among those sentenced are former Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader and former State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat. The other defendants are senior figures from the Awami League and its youth and student wings.
All seven were tried in their absence and remain outside the custody of Bangladeshi authorities.

SEVEN SENIOR AWAMI LEAGUE FIGURES CONVICTED

The tribunal, led by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, handed down the verdict on Tuesday.
Those sentenced to death are Obaidul Quader, AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Mohammad Ali Arafat, Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, Moinul Hossain Khan Nikhil, Saddam Hussain and Sheikh Wali Asif Enan.
The prosecution accused the men of involvement in crimes against humanity, including ordering, encouraging, supporting or otherwise contributing to violence against protesters. The tribunal convicted them after an eight-month trial.
The chief prosecutor, Mohammad Aminul Islam, welcomed the verdict and said most of the charges had been proved beyond reasonable doubt.

COURT ORDERS ASSET CONFISCATION

In addition to the death sentences, the tribunal ordered the confiscation of 50 per cent of the movable and immovable assets of several of the convicted men.
The court said the confiscated property would be used to compensate families of people who were killed or injured during the uprising.
The measure adds a financial dimension to the criminal proceedings, allowing victims’ families to potentially receive compensation alongside the convictions.

DEFENCE CHALLENGES THE DEATH SENTENCES

A court-appointed defence lawyer, M Hasan Imam, disputed the severity of the punishment.
He argued that the defendants were not directly involved in the killings and therefore should have received lesser sentences.
Because the men were tried in absentia, they were not present in court to personally respond to the allegations during the proceedings.
Their cases have also become part of a wider political and legal dispute surrounding the prosecution of senior figures from the former government.

1,400 PEOPLE DIED DURING THE UPRISING

The protests began as a student movement but rapidly expanded into a nationwide challenge to Hasina’s government.
The United Nations has estimated that as many as 1,400 people were killed during the unrest between July and August 2024, with most of the victims believed to have been civilians.
Thousands of others were injured as security forces and supporters of the government attempted to contain the demonstrations.
The scale of the violence turned the protests from a dispute over government policy into a much broader political uprising.

HASINA FLED TO INDIA

The unrest ultimately forced Sheikh Hasina from office.
On August 5, 2024, she fled Bangladesh by helicopter and travelled to neighbouring India, bringing an end to more than 15 years in power.
Hasina has rejected the proceedings against her and her former party as politically motivated.
She was herself sentenced to death in absentia in November 2025 over her role in the crackdown.
She remains in India and has said she intends to return to Bangladesh in December, despite the outstanding death sentence.

68 PEOPLE NOW CONVICTED

Tuesday’s ruling brings the total number of people convicted in cases arising from the 2024 uprising to 68.
According to Bangladeshi reports, 22 people have now received death sentences in seven cases before the International Crimes Tribunal.
However, most of those sentenced to death remain outside custody. Current figures show that 18 of the 22 death-row convicts are at large, while only four are in custody.
The cases have involved both political figures and members of the security forces, reflecting the tribunal’s wider investigation into the violence surrounding the uprising.

BANGLADESH SEEKS HASINA'S EXTRADITION

The current Bangladeshi government has requested Hasina’s extradition from India.
Her continued presence in India has therefore become an important issue in relations between the two neighbouring countries.
Bangladesh wants her returned to face the legal consequences of the convictions against her, while Hasina has continued to reject the legitimacy of the proceedings.

A COUNTRY STILL DEALING WITH THE AFTERMATH

The latest verdict is another major development in Bangladesh’s attempt to address the violence surrounding the 2024 uprising.
For families who lost relatives during the protests, the convictions and promised compensation represent part of the search for accountability.
For supporters of Hasina and the Awami League, however, the trials remain controversial, with the former prime minister and her party arguing that the cases are politically driven.
The death sentences therefore carry significance beyond the seven defendants themselves, as Bangladesh continues to confront the political, legal and human consequences of the uprising that ended Sheikh Hasina’s long rule.