Published : 29 Oct 2026, 12:32 PM
Updated : 29 Oct 2026, 01:06 PM
The International Crimes Tribunal has sentenced Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif to death in a crimes against humanity case over the killings of six people in Kushtia during the July Uprising.
The other three accused in the case have been sentenced to imprisonment until death.
The International Crimes Tribunal-2 headed by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury delivered the verdict on Thursday.
The other two members of the tribunal are Judge Md Manjurul Bashid and Judge Nur Mohammad Shahriar Kabir.
Those sentenced to life imprisonment are former chairman of Kushtia district council and district Awami League President Sadar Uddin Khan, District General Secretary Azgar Ali and former Sadar Upazila council chairman Ataur Rahman Ata.
Hanif was found guilty on all three counts in the verdict. He was sentenced to death on count 1 and life imprisonment on counts 2 and 3.
The other three accused in the case were also found guilty on all three counts. They were sentenced to imprisonment until death on count 1 and life in prison on counts 2 and 3.
All four accused were found guilty on counts 4 and 5 and sentenced to life in prison.
The verdict also ordered that half of the immovable property of the convicts be confiscated and the proceeds from their sale be given as compensation to the victims of the July Uprising through the July Foundation or any other statutory body.
The arguments against the four accused concluded on Oct 7.
The tribunal had ordered the trial of Hanif and the three others to begin on Nov 2 last year. The prosecution had submitted formal charges against them on Oct 5, and the tribunal took cognisance of the charges the following day.
The tribunal issued arrest warrants for the defendants that day and ordered them to appear before the court by Oct 14.
After police reported that they had been unable to arrest the defendants, the tribunal ordered them to appear through notices published in two national dailies.
The tribunal appointed lawyers for the defendants on Oct 23 and set Oct 27 for the framing of charges.
The prosecution brought three specific charges against Hanif and the other defendants.
One of the charges involves “command responsibility”, or the liability of senior leaders. They are accused of being present at a press conference and endorsing a statement by Obaidul Quader that the Awami League and affiliated organisation activists were sufficient to “deal” with the protesters.
They are also accused of directly ordering the killing of students and members of the public and conspiring to carry out the acts at a meeting in Kushtia on Jul 29, 2024, as well as the killing of six people in Kushtia city during the movement in July and August.
A total of 19 witnesses, including the investigating officer, testified in the case.
