By Team INVC | INVC NEWS
DHAKA, Bangladesh | September 15, 2026 — Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal-2 on Tuesday sentenced seven senior Awami League and affiliated-organization leaders to death over crimes against humanity linked to the violent suppression of the 2024 student-led uprising that ultimately brought down former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government.
The seven include Awami League General Secretary and former minister Obaidul Quader, Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, former State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat, Jubo League Chairman Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, Jubo League General Secretary Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil, former Chhatra League President Saddam Hossain, and former Chhatra League General Secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Enan.
All seven remain at large, and the tribunal conducted the trial in absentia. A three-member ICT-2 bench headed by Justice Md Nazrul Islam Chowdhury delivered the verdict in Dhaka.
Tribunal Finds Leaders Guilty Over Killings, Incitement and Conspiracy
The case centered on allegations that senior Awami League figures and leaders of its affiliated organizations helped direct, encourage or facilitate violence against protesters during the July-August 2024 uprising.
Prosecutors accused the defendants of issuing directives, making inflammatory statements, planning resistance against protesters and playing roles in armed attacks and repression during the unrest. Twenty-nine prosecution witnesses, including the investigating officer, testified during the proceedings.
The tribunal convicted the seven on different combinations of charges involving murder, attempted murder, incitement, conspiracy, complicity and failure to prevent crimes.
Although each defendant received a death sentence, the detailed judgment imposed different punishments on individual counts. Some charges resulted in imprisonment until death, while the tribunal acquitted several defendants on particular counts.
Obaidul Quader Among Most Prominent Figures Convicted
Obaidul Quader, one of the most influential figures in the former Hasina government, received death sentences on three of four charges and imprisonment until death on another count.
Prosecutors alleged that Quader instructed party activists and Chhatra League leaders to suppress the student movement and played a central role in decisions taken during the unrest.
The prosecution also presented recordings and other evidence that it said connected senior political figures to decisions surrounding the crackdown. The defendants’ state-appointed lawyers contested the prosecution’s case during the trial.
Mohammad Ali Arafat, who served as state minister for information and broadcasting, also received death sentences on multiple charges. Prosecutors accused him of incitement, involvement in plans against protesters and actions related to media restrictions during the uprising.
Court Orders 50% of Assets Seized From Five Convicts
The judgment went beyond the death penalties.
ICT-2 ordered authorities to confiscate 50% of the movable and immovable assets belonging to Obaidul Quader, AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Mohammad Ali Arafat, Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash and Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil.
The tribunal directed that proceeds from those assets be used to compensate people killed or injured during the 2024 uprising, or their families, through the July Foundation or another statutory body.
The confiscation order does not apply to Saddam Hossain and Wali Asif Enan, according to details of the judgment reported after the verdict.
Where Is Sheikh Hasina?
Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was not a defendant in Tuesday’s seven-person case.
However, the latest verdict adds to the legal pressure surrounding the former Awami League leadership.
Hasina fled Bangladesh for India after her government collapsed on August 5, 2024. In a separate crimes-against-humanity case, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal sentenced her to death in absentia in November 2025 over her role in the crackdown on the uprising. She has denied the accusations against her.
Hasina remains in exile in India. Bangladesh has formally sought her extradition, while New Delhi has said the request is being examined under applicable legal and judicial procedures.
That extradition dispute has also become an important issue in India-Bangladesh relations.
Seven Leaders Also Remain Outside Bangladesh
The defendants sentenced Tuesday were also declared fugitives and tried in their absence.
Obaidul Quader has previously been reported as living in Kolkata after leaving Bangladesh following the collapse of the Hasina government. A January 2026 report said he received hospital treatment in Kolkata before returning to his residence there.
Authorities in Bangladesh issued arrest warrants against all seven in December 2025. ICT-2 formally framed charges in January 2026 before the trial began the following month.
Verdict Deepens Reckoning Over 2024 Bangladesh Uprising
Tuesday’s ruling represents the seventh verdict delivered in crimes-against-humanity cases connected with the July 2024 uprising.
According to figures reported after the judgment, the two tribunals have now sentenced 68 defendants across seven cases. Twenty-two, including Sheikh Hasina and Obaidul Quader, have received death sentences.
The latest decision therefore carries consequences far beyond the seven defendants.
It further dismantles the former Awami League leadership structure inside Bangladesh, intensifies Dhaka’s efforts to bring convicted fugitives home and adds another sensitive issue to Bangladesh’s relations with India, where several former political figures have reportedly taken refuge.
