The prosecution has placed its appeal against the life sentence of ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on the agenda of the Appellate Division’s Chamber Court.
The appeal appears as item No 58 on Thursday’s cause list of the Chamber Court presided over by Justice Md Rezaul Haque.
Earlier, on December 15, the prosecution filed an appeal seeking the death penalty on a charge for which Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal were sentenced to life imprisonment in a crimes against humanity case over incidents during the anti-government movement in July–August 2014, centred on the anti-discrimination student movement.
On November 27, the prosecution had announced its intention to appeal for a harsher sentence for the former prime minister.
That day, Prosecutor Gazi M H Tamim said that Tribunal-1, on November 17, sentenced Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death on one charge and to life imprisonment on another. He added that after receiving the full verdict, the prosecution took a preliminary decision to appeal to enhance the life sentence to the death penalty within the stipulated 30 days.
On November 17, the tribunal sentenced both Sheikh Hasina and Kamal to death by hanging on one charge and to life imprisonment on another, and ordered the confiscation of all their properties in the country. Former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, a witness in the case, was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. The verdict was delivered by a three-member bench of Tribunal-1 led by its chairman, Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumdar. The full verdict was published nine days later.
The prosecution brought five charges against the three accused. In its verdict, however, Tribunal-1 considered six incidents under two charges.
Under charge one, three incidents were cited. These included a speech at a press conference at Ganabhaban on July 14, 2024, in which protesters were allegedly referred to as “Razakars”; a conversation later that night between Sheikh Hasina and Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Maksud Kamal, which the tribunal said involved incitement and orders to hang protesters; and the failure of the accused to prevent subordinates from committing crimes. As a result, police shot and killed Abu Sayed in Rangpur. For these incidents, Sheikh Hasina and Kamal were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Under charge two, the tribunal cited three more incidents. These included a phone conversation on July 18, 2024, between Sheikh Hasina, former Dhaka South City Corporation mayor Fazle Noor Taposh and JSD president Hasanul Haque Inu, in which the tribunal found that orders were given to identify protesters using drones and to kill students and members of the public using helicopters and lethal weapons. The accused were also found to have failed to prevent their subordinates from carrying out these acts.
As a result, on August 5, 2024, police shot and killed six protesters in Chankharpul. On the same day, six more people were killed in Ashulia, Savar, and their bodies were burned. For these incidents, Sheikh Hasina and Kamal were sentenced to death, and their assets were ordered to be confiscated for distribution among victims of the July movement. Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun received a five-year prison sentence on both charges.
Following the verdict, the prosecution filed an appeal on December 15 seeking the death penalty on the charge that had resulted in life imprisonment. Prosecutor Tamim said the appeal was filed on eight grounds.