The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Monday sentenced ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death for crimes against humanity committed during the July Uprising.
Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun has been sentenced to five years in prison after confessing to his guilt and testifying as a public witness against the former prime minister and home minister in the tribunal.
was pardoned after the tribunal ruled that he made a full and truthful disclosure of the events within his knowledge.
A three-member panel of ICT-1, led by Justice Golam Mortuza Mazumder, began reading the long-awaited verdict around 12:40pm after months of hearings in the landmark case.
The tribunal found that all three exercised command responsibility over killings, torture and the use of lethal force during the 2024 student-led protests.
Hasina was convicted on three counts under Charge-2, while Kamal and Mamun were found guilty on two counts for abetting the use of drones, helicopters and live ammunition, and for failing to restrain the forces under their command.
‘Rajakars’ grandchildren’ remark
In its 453-page judgement, the tribunal said Sheikh Hasina incited violence when she told a July 2024 press conference: “Will Rajakars’ grandchildren get jobs rather than the grandchildren of the Freedom Fighters?”
She further escalated tensions by stating that the ruling Awami League’s student wing, the Chhatra League, was “enough to control the protesting students,” the judges said.
The tribunal ruled that Hasina’s statements, combined with her failure to punish those who attacked demonstrators, constituted crimes against humanity.
‘Shoot anywhere you can’
The verdict also cites Hasina’s phone conversation with then Dhaka South mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, in which she said that law enforcement had been ordered to use lethal weapons and arrest participants in the July Uprising.
“Police have been ordered to shoot protestors anywhere they can,” the tribunal quoted her as saying.
The judges concluded that Hasina, Kamal and Mamun committed crimes against humanity through orders, incitement, abetment and inaction during peaceful protests.
Death penalty, asset seizure
ICT prosecutors had sought the maximum punishment for Hasina and Kamal, along with a seizure of their assets, and said they would move to seek a renewed Interpol warrant following Monday’s verdict.
The tribunal premises were placed under a stringent, multi-layered security cordon from Sunday night, with the judgment broadcast live on Bangladesh Television and streamed on the ICT’s official Facebook page and several large outdoor screens.
Case background
This is the first case filed over killings, torture and other crimes against humanity committed during the July Uprising.
Hasina and Kamal, who fled to India during the mass revolt in August last year, remain absconding.
Mamun testified as a state witness and confessed his involvement.
The tribunal heard testimony from 54 of the 81 listed witnesses over 28 working days.
The prosecution submitted its closing arguments on October 16; defence arguments concluded on October 22.
The charges, formally framed on July 10, accuse the three of incitement, provocation and command responsibility for the killing of around 1,400 people and the maiming of 25,000 others during the 2024 uprising.
The formal charge documents span 8,747 pages, including references, seizure lists and a 2,724-page list of the dead.
The verdict marks the first time a former Bangladeshi prime minister has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity, concluding one of the most consequential trials in the country’s recent political history.