Bangladesh sentences seven Hasina-era leaders to death

Sheikh Hasina’s iron-fisted, 15-year rule ended in August 2024, when she fled her palace by helicopter for neighboring India, where she remains in hiding.(AFP) — A Bangladesh court sentenced seven senior leaders of the former ruling party, including two former ministers, to death in absentia Tuesday for their roles in attempting to crush the 2024 uprising.The seven men, members of ousted leader Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League, were convicted of crimes against humanity, including murder, and of instigating killings.They include the party’s former general secretary, Obaidul Quader, and former minister Mohammad Ali Arafat. A three-member tribunal headed by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury sentenced them.“We are happy with the verdict,” prosecutor Md Aminul Islam said.As many as 1,400 people were killed in July and August 2024, according to the United Nations, as Hasina’s government attempted to suppress the student-led uprising.Hasina’s iron-fisted, 15-year rule ended in August 2024, when she fled her palace by helicopter for neighboring India, where she remains in hiding.She was sentenced to death by hanging in absentia in November 2025.State-appointed defense lawyer M Hasan Imam said the seven men were not directly involved in the killings and that the court could have imposed a lesser sentence.“They were not directly involved in the killings,” he said, arguing that they had been convicted because of the actions of fellow activists and supporters.The other five men are AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil, Saddam Hussain and Sheikh Wali Asif Enan.The court also ordered that half of the assets belonging to five of the men be distributed as compensation to the families of people killed or injured in the uprising.Tuesday’s sentencing brings to 68 the total number of people convicted in trials related to the 2024 protests. Of those, 22 have been sentenced to death, though only four are in custody.Hasina has refused to recognize the court’s authority.The government of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, which won a landslide victory in February in the first election since Hasina was ousted, has requested her extradition.But Hasina, 78, has said she will return voluntarily to Bangladesh in December despite the death sentence she faces.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads