Bangladesh Hands Death Penalty to Hasina-Era Minister, 6 Others Over Student Uprising Crackdown

A Bangladesh tribunal on Tuesday sentenced seven senior leaders of Sheikh Hasina’s ousted Awami League to death in absentia over their alleged involvement in the deadly crackdown on the 2024 student-led uprising.

The convicted leaders include former Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader and former minister Mohammad Ali Arafat. All seven were found guilty of crimes against humanity, including murder, and of inciting violence during the protests that eventually brought Hasina’s 15-year rule to an end.

The verdict was delivered by a three-member tribunal headed by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury. Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam welcomed the ruling, saying the prosecution was satisfied with the outcome.

According to the United Nations, up to 1,400 people may have been killed during the July-August 2024 unrest as Hasina’s government attempted to quell the student movement.

Hasina fled Bangladesh in August 2024, travelling to India by helicopter, where she remains. She was herself sentenced to death in absentia in November 2025 and has rejected the tribunal proceedings.

The defence maintained that the seven leaders were not directly responsible for the killings. State-appointed lawyer M Hasan Imam argued that they had been convicted because of the actions of their supporters and fellow party activists.

The other five leaders sentenced to death are AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil, Saddam Hussain and Sheikh Wali Asif Enan.

The tribunal further ordered that 50% of the assets of five of the convicted men be used to compensate families of those killed or injured during the uprising.

68 Convicted Over 2024 Uprising

With Tuesday’s ruling, the number of people convicted in cases related to the 2024 protests has risen to 68. Of these, 22 have received death sentences, while only four are currently in custody.

Hasina has refused to recognise the tribunal’s authority and continues to reject the charges against her.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s government, which came to power after winning the February election—the first since Hasina’s ouster—has been seeking her extradition from India.

Despite her death sentence, the 78-year-old former prime minister has said she intends to return to Bangladesh voluntarily in December.