DHAKA, Sep 14: Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) is scheduled to deliver on Tuesday its second major verdict against senior leaders of the now disbanded Awami League, nearly 10 months after former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia.
A three-member tribunal headed by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury fixed the date through a short order issued on Monday, according to an ICT-BD official.
Among the seven accused are Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim and former State Minister for Information Mohammad Arafat. All the accused have been tried in absentia and were represented by lawyers appointed by the tribunal.
The case relates to allegations of crimes against humanity during the violent student-led protests of 2024, widely known as the July Uprising. The demonstrations eventually resulted in the fall of Hasina’s government on August 5, 2024.
Prosecutors have alleged that the accused directed or encouraged violence against protesters and issued instructions aimed at suppressing the demonstrations. They also claimed that meetings were held to discuss plans for using force against demonstrators.
According to the prosecution, the accused were linked to armed attacks, severe repression and efforts to control the media. Prosecutors have further alleged their involvement in killings, attempted killings and widespread violence in several parts of the country.
The tribunal completed arguments from both the prosecution and defence on August 17 and subsequently reserved its judgment. Charges had been formally framed against the seven approximately eight months earlier.
The upcoming ruling follows the tribunal’s November 17 verdict last year against Hasina and her former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal. Both were sentenced to death in absentia over their alleged roles in the crackdown on the student demonstrations.
The tribunal found Hasina responsible for allowing lethal force to be used against protesters.
A United Nations human rights fact finding mission investigating violence between July 15 and August 15, 2024, including retaliatory attacks against police personnel and Awami League supporters after the government’s fall, estimated that around 1,400 people were killed during the unrest.
Hasina’s conviction and death sentence have faced criticism from international human rights organisations and legal experts, who questioned the fairness of the proceedings.
Amnesty International argued that the judgment risked compounding human rights violations instead of providing justice, while Human Rights Watch criticised the proceedings, including the decision not to allow Hasina to choose her own lawyer.
Legal critics and political opponents of the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus have also alleged that the tribunal is being used for political retaliation rather than independent justice. The interim government has rejected such allegations.
The ICT-BD was originally established under the Awami League government to prosecute individuals accused of collaborating with Pakistani forces during Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War.
The interim administration later amended the tribunal’s mandate, allowing it to prosecute Awami League leaders over alleged offences committed during the 2024 unrest.
Since the collapse of the Hasina government, thousands of cases have been registered across Bangladesh against former Awami League leaders, ministers, lawmakers and activists.
Most of those cases have yet to reach the trial stage, while hundreds of political leaders, activists, journalists and former government officials remain in custody.