Bangladesh sentences Hasina-era minister to death over 2024 uprising murders

DHAKA, October 29 - A senior leader from the former ruling party in Bangladesh, currently residing in absentia, has been sentenced to death for his involvement in the 2024 uprising killings. The three-member tribunal convicted the Awami League leader, along with three other party leaders, of six murders that occurred in Kushtia district during the unrest that ousted former premier Sheikh Hasina.

The joint general secretary of the party, Md Mahbubul Alam Hanif, received the death sentence for his role. Chief prosecutor Md Aminul Islam confirmed that the evidence against the convicts was "undeniably proved." The tribunal also ordered the confiscation of half of the convicts' immovable properties to be distributed as compensation to the families of those killed or injured during the uprising.

According to the United Nations, 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024 when Hasina's government tried to quell the student-led uprising. Hasina's 15-year rule concluded in August 2024, when she fled to India and remains there in hiding. She was also sentenced to death by hanging in November 2025. The sentencing marks the total number of people convicted of crimes related to the 2024 uprising to 72, with 23 receiving the death penalty, but only four are currently in custody.

Hasina has rejected the court's authority, and the government of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, which won a significant victory in February's elections, has called for her extradition. Hasina, 78, has stated she will return to Bangladesh voluntarily in December despite facing the death sentence.