Bangladesh sentences Hasina-era minister to death

DHAKA — A senior leader of the former ruling Awami League party in Bangladesh has been sentenced to death in absentia for his involvement in the killings of six individuals during the 2024 uprising, while three other party leaders received life imprisonment sentences. The four men were members of ousted premier Sheikh Hasina's Awami League and were convicted of the murders that took place in the western Kushtia district during the unrest, which ultimately led to Hasina's ouster.

The lead defendant sentenced to death was Md Mahbubul Alam Hanif, the party's joint general secretary and a minister under Hasina's autocratic rule. The prosecutor confirmed that the charges against the convicts were proven beyond doubt. The tribunal also ordered the seizure of half of the convicts' immovable properties to be distributed as compensation to the families of those killed or injured during the uprising.

The defense lawyers expressed dissatisfaction with the verdict, highlighting that around 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024.