Last Updated on September 15, 2026 10:46 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Tuesday (Sept 15) sentenced ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s close aide and Awami League (AL) general secretary Obaidul Quader, along with six other senior party leaders, to death in a case related to alleged atrocities during the July 2024 mass uprising.
The verdict was delivered by the International Crimes Tribunal-2 in Dhaka after an eight-month trial in a case involving charges of crimes against humanity. The tribunal also ordered the confiscation of part of the assets of some of the convicts, with the proceeds to be used as compensation for families of those killed and injured during the uprising.
The six others sentenced to death are former state minister for information Mohammad Ali Arafat, Awami League joint general secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Jubo League (AL youth wing) chairman Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, Jubo League general secretary Moinul Hossain Nikhil, Chhatra League (AL student wing) president Saddam Hussain and its general secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Enan. All seven were tried in absentia as they are reportedly outside the country.
The case relates to the mass protests that began in July 2024 over the government’s quota system and later turned into a wider anti-government movement, eventually leading to the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5, 2024. The tribunal proceedings have focused on allegations of killings, violence and suppression of protesters during the unrest.
Obaidul Quader, a longtime political heavyweight of the Awami League, served as Bangladesh’s road transport and bridges minister and was the party’s general secretary. Prosecutors alleged that he played a key role in directing and influencing state agencies and party-affiliated groups during the crackdown on protesters.
The latest verdict adds Quader’s name to a growing list of former Awami League leaders sentenced by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal over the July uprising cases. Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal are also among those who have received death sentences in separate cases related to the unrest.
The verdict has also brought the issue of extradition into focus. Several senior Awami League leaders, including Hasina and Quader, are believed to be outside Bangladesh. Political leaders in Dhaka have said that bringing back the convicted individuals through legal and diplomatic channels would help improve relations between Bangladesh and India.