Bangladesh tribunal sentences Awami League leader Hanif to death over 2024 protest killings
A special tribunal in Bangladesh has sentenced Mahbubul Alam Hanif, joint general secretary of the Awami League, to death over the killing of six people in western Kushtia district during the student-led protests of 2024, prosecutors and lawyers said.
The three-member tribunal was led by Justice Nozrul Islam Chowdhury and included Justices Md. Manjurul Bashid and Nur Mohammad Shahriar Kabir. It convicted Hanif and ruled that he would be hanged until death. The tribunal also sentenced three other local Awami League leaders to “imprisonment until death” on identical charges. All four are absconding, and the tribunal ordered the confiscation of half of their property. The trial was held in absentia.
The protests, widely referred to as the July Uprising, led to the fall of then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5, 2024. She left for India. The tribunal is examining charges arising from killings and other violence during the unrest. Hanif is the 23rd leader of the Awami League, which has since been disbanded, to receive a death sentence after Hasina’s removal. Hasina was the first to be sentenced to death in absentia, along with former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal. Dozens of other former politicians and officials have received life imprisonment or other jail terms, while many are facing trial in person or in absentia on various charges.
The tribunal’s chief prosecutor, Md. Aminul Islam, welcomed the verdict. “The tribunal delivered its verdict today after completing the trial in this crimes against humanity case. Today’s verdict is very timely. Paying tribute to the July martyrs, we welcome the verdict,” he said. The accused were defended by state-appointed lawyers.
The Awami League and Hasina have rejected the tribunal’s proceedings, calling it a “kangaroo court”. International rights groups, including Amnesty International and U.S.-based Human Rights Watch, and several jurists have questioned the fairness of the trials. The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus took office after the Awami League government fell. Critics say the proceedings must meet international fair-trial standards, including the right of defendants to be present, to have effective legal representation and to challenge evidence.
The verdict is part of a broader reckoning in Bangladesh over the events of 2024. The government has faced pressure to ensure that those responsible for unlawful killings and other abuses are held to account, while also protecting due process. Rights groups have said that trials conducted in absentia and before special tribunals require particular scrutiny to avoid the appearance of victor’s justice. The Awami League’s rejection of the court’s legitimacy and the international criticism mean the case remains contested both inside and outside Bangladesh.
Hanif and the other convicted leaders have not been arrested. It was not immediately clear whether they would appeal, given their absence. Under the tribunal’s order, half of their property is to be confiscated. The case is one of many stemming from the July Uprising, which began as a student movement over government job quotas and expanded into a wider protest against Hasina’s rule. The violence during the protests left many people dead and injured, and the resulting political transition has reshaped Bangladesh’s legal and political landscape.
