Play store
DHAKA: The International Crimes Tribunal-2 has sentenced Mahbub Ul Alam Hanif, joint general secretary of the banned Awami League, to death for crimes against humanity committed during the July mass uprising of 2024.
A three-member tribunal led by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury delivered the verdict on Thursday. The other two members were Judges Md Manjurul Bashid and Nur Mohammad Shahriar Kabir.
Three other accused in the case were sentenced to life imprisonment. They are Sadar Uddin Khan, president of the Kushtia district Awami League and former chairman of the district council; Asgar Ali, general secretary of the district Awami League; and Ataur Rahman, general secretary of the Kushtia municipal Awami League.
All four accused, including Hanif, are absconding. The tribunal also ordered the confiscation of half of their properties.
Convict faced three charges in the case:
The first charge stated that Hanif was present alongside Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on July 15, 17 and 30, 2024, and endorsed Quader’s provocative remarks. Hanif was also accused of inciting, instigating and aiding killings and torture by labelling protesters as members of Jamaat, terrorists and communal forces during a discussion at the National Press Club on July 29.
According to the second charge, on Hanif’s instructions, Sadar Uddin Khan, Asgar Ali, Ataur Rahman and other Awami League leaders held a meeting at the Kushtia district Awami League office on July 27, 2024. The meeting portrayed the peaceful movement of unarmed students and members of the public as terrorist activities and directed Awami League activists to use maximum force to suppress the protests in Kushtia town.
The third charge stated that on August 5, 2024, Awami League activists and members of its affiliated organisations opened fire on students and members of the public at various locations in Kushtia town on the instructions of the four accused. Six people were killed in the shooting that day.
The victims were Ashraful Islam, Suroj Ali, Abdullah Al Mustakin, Md Usama, Babul Farazi and Yusuf Sheikh.
Trial proceedings
According to the prosecution, the investigation into the case began on March 25 last year. The investigation agency submitted its report to the Chief Prosecutor’s Office on September 11 of the same year, and the prosecution filed the formal charges with the tribunal on October 6. After hearings from both sides, the tribunal ordered the framing of charges on November 2.
The formal trial began on December 8 last year with opening statements, and witness testimony started the same day. The tribunal concluded the examination of 19 witnesses on April 23 this year.
Closing arguments were completed on June 10, and the tribunal initially kept the case awaiting judgment. The prosecution subsequently submitted additional witnesses and documents, prompting further arguments from both sides. The final arguments concluded on October 7, after which the tribunal reserved its verdict.
On Tuesday, the tribunal-2 announced that it would deliver the verdict on Thursday.