Bangladesh Court Orders Execution of 7 Hasina-Linked Officials
The ruling came from a three-member International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka, headed by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury. All seven defendants are currently fugitives, having fled into self-exile in India and the United States.
Among those convicted: Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, former state minister for Information Mohammad Ali Arafat, Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, party youth wing chief Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, youth wing General Secretary Moinul Hossain Nikhil, student wing President Saddam Hussain, and student wing General Secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Enan.
The tribunal also ordered half the assets of Quader, Nasim, Arafat and Parash seized, with the proceeds earmarked as compensation for the families of those killed or injured in July's unrest.
The verdict follows a death sentence handed down against Hasina herself last November by the same tribunal, which found her guilty of crimes against humanity over her government's violent crackdown during the 2024 uprising. The United Nations estimates that at least 1,400 people were killed and thousands more injured as Hasina's security forces and Awami League supporters moved against protesters.
Hasina remains in self-imposed exile in neighboring India after fleeing Bangladesh, though she has pledged to return to the country this December.
Across seven rulings issued by the two tribunals to date, 68 people have now been convicted, with 22 sentenced to death. Of those found guilty, 18 remain at large and four are in custody.
Reacting to the verdict in Dhaka, an adviser to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said extraditing Hasina, Quader and other convicted figures from India was now a "crucial condition" for repairing relations between the two countries.
“I expect that the Indian government would understand the sensitivity of it (deportation) and hand them over (to Bangladesh),” said Zahed Ur Rahman, the adviser on Information and Broadcasting Affairs to the prime minister.
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