Bangladesh court sentences 7 Hasina allies to death

In a landmark ruling on Tuesday, a court in Bangladesh sentenced seven former senior officials from ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League to death in absentia. The convicts were found guilty of crimes against humanity, specifically for their roles in the deadly crackdown on anti-government protests in 2024. These protests erupted as a student-led movement, escalating into a nationwide revolt against Hasina's government.

Hasina herself was convicted of the same charges in November 2025 and sentenced to death in absentia.

The United Nations estimates that up to 1,400 people, primarily civilians, lost their lives during the unrest in July and August 2024. Among those convicted are former Awami League Secretary-General Obaidul Quader and former Information Minister Mohammad Ali Arafat. The remaining five were high-ranking members of the Awami League.

The court ordered the seizure of half of the defendants' assets to compensate families of those killed or injured during the protests. Defense lawyer M Hasan Imam argued that the men were not directly involved in the killings and proposed less severe sentences. However, Prosecutor Mohammad Aminul Islam welcomed the verdict, stating that most charges had been proven beyond reasonable doubt.

The protests began as a student-led movement and grew into a broad-based revolt against Hasina's government, which had ruled Bangladesh for over 15 years. Hasina fled Bangladesh by helicopter for India on August 5, 2024, bringing an end to her long tenure in power. She was convicted of crimes against humanity in November 2025 and remains in exile in India.

This verdict brings the total number of convictions in trials related to the 2024 uprising to 68, with 22 receiving death sentences. However, only four of those convicted are currently in custody. The Bangladesh government, led by Tarique Rahman following February's elections, has requested Hasina's extradition from India. The 78-year-old former prime minister remains in exile in India and has expressed her intention to return to Bangladesh in December.