DHAKA — A three-member bench of Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal-2, headed by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, delivered the verdict on Thursday, 29 October. Hanif, a former minister in Hasina's government, was sentenced to death on the first charge and to life imprisonment on the remaining charges. The three other accused — former Kushtia district council chairman Sadar Uddin Khan, district Awami League general secretary Azgar Ali and former Kushtia Sadar upazila chairman Ataur Rahman Ata — were sentenced to imprisonment until death.
Source: The Business Standard (Dhaka), 29 October 2026
All four men are absconding and were tried in absentia, represented by state-appointed lawyers. The case concerns the killing of six people in Kushtia, in western Bangladesh, on 5 August 2024, during the student-led July uprising that forced Hasina from power. According to the case documents reported by the Times of Bangladesh, Azgar Ali told a party gathering on 27 July 2024 that Hanif had instructed members to suppress the movement "by any means". Nineteen prosecution witnesses testified in the case.
Source: Times of Bangladesh, 29 October 2026
The tribunal also ordered the confiscation of half of the four men's immovable properties, with the proceeds to be distributed as compensation to the families of those killed and injured in the uprising through the July Foundation or another statutory body. In its observations, the tribunal also described the Awami League and its allies, including the Jubo League, Chhatra League and the 14-Party Alliance, as having acted as a criminal organisation during the uprising, the Times of Bangladesh reported.
Source: Times of Bangladesh, 29 October 2026
Chief prosecutor Md Aminul Islam welcomed the verdict, saying the charges had been "undoubtedly proved" and calling the judgment timely. State-appointed defence lawyer Md Amir Hossain called the verdict "unacceptable" and expressed disappointment. Hanif's declared assets in his 2024 election affidavit were Tk20.99 crore against liabilities of about Tk102.86 crore (yaani: liabilities of just over Tk1 billion — more than one arab taka).
Thursday's sentencing brings the number of people convicted over the 2024 uprising to 72, of whom 23 have been sentenced to death, though only four are in custody, according to wire reporting of the verdict. As many as 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024, according to the United Nations, as Hasina's government tried to suppress the uprising. Hasina fled to India in August 2024, was herself sentenced to death in absentia in November 2025, and has refused to accept the court's authority; the government of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, elected in February, has requested her extradition from India.
What is solid
- The verdict, sentences and property-confiscation order were reported consistently by The Business Standard, the Times of Bangladesh and wire coverage on Thursday
- All four convicts are absconding and were tried in absentia with state-appointed defence lawyers
What is only claimed
- The defence calls the verdict unacceptable; the former ruling party and Hasina reject the tribunal's authority
- The tribunal's 'criminal organisation' observation about the Awami League and its allies is a judicial observation in this verdict, not a separate ban order
Because all four men are fugitives, the sentences can only be carried out if they are arrested or surrender. The property confiscation and compensation process through the July Foundation is the part of the verdict that can move first.