Families of July Uprising victims want Hasina brought back, hanged for crimes against humanity

The father of a July Uprising martyr says she should be "publicly" hanged

Families of July Uprising victims say they want deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina brought back from India so that a death sentence, if handed down, can be carried out.

Even “a thousand death sentences” would be “too little” for her crimes, according to Mir Mahbubur Rahman Snigdho, the twin brother of Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mugdho, who was killed during the July Uprising.

He made the remarks on Monday at the International Crimes Tribunal, which is set to deliver the verdict in a crimes against humanity case against Hasina on Monday.

The prosecution has sought the maximum penalty, which is death, for the 78-year-old Hasina on five charges: incitement, provocation and orders to kill 1,400 people during the crackdown on the movement, “superior command responsibility”, and “joint criminal enterprise”.

Hasina, who has been in India since being ousted on Aug 5, 2024, was deemed absconding by the court. As a result, she was not given the opportunity to defend herself directly during the hearings. The state instead appointed a lawyer to represent her.

However, in interviews with various international media outlets, she has denied ordering the July killings and has described the case as “politically motivated”.

Many other family members of the victims also came to the tribunal on Monday to await the verdict.

Syed Gaziur Rahman, father of Syed Muntasir Rahman who was killed in the Uprising, said: “She has committed the crimes. The way the killings were carried out openly, I believe her hanging should also take place openly.”

Claiming that he saw “police open fire” with his own eyes, he added: “If you ask me to name that police officer, I cannot. That is not how a trial is done. The trial should follow the principles applied in ‘genocide’ cases.”

He said his only son Muntasir, who had been a Dakhil student at the time, died “after being shot twice” on Aug 5 last year.

Asked how the sentence could be carried out if Hasina remains in India, Abu Bakar Siddique, the father of July Uprising martyr Hafizul Shikder, said: “Once the verdict is delivered, she must be brought back from India. She must be brought to the soil of Bangladesh to be hanged.”

“We, the families of those killed, will only be satisfied when we see the execution. I am the only one who knows the pain of losing my son.”

He said his son had been “shot” on Jul 20 last year.