‘No appeal window left for death-row convict Hasina’

Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Md Aminul Islam said on Monday that ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina will have no further opportunity to appeal against her death sentence as she did not file an appeal within 30 days of the ICT verdict.

Speaking at a press conference at his office, he said the law applied equally to everyone, whether the person concerned was a fugitive or in custody.

Referring to the case of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the chief prosecutor said the law clearly requires an appeal against a tribunal verdict to be filed within 30 days of its pronouncement.

The tribunal had sentenced Azad to death, but he remained outside the country for a long time and did not file an appeal, he said.

“Section 21(3) of our law clearly states that an appeal must be filed within 30 days. If an appeal is not filed within that period, it will no longer be admissible,” he said.

The chief prosecutor said work is under way to finalise the legal process for confiscating the assets of Hasina and others already ordered by the tribunal in cases over the July killings, including which agency will carry out the confiscation and how proceeds will reach victims’ families. 

Confiscation and compensation are both provided for under law, he said, though the implementation procedure falls under general law; he added that he had asked tribunal judges to issue clear directions on the matter. 

Once finalised, the procedure would apply retrospectively to verdicts already delivered, and he saw no legal obstacle to that.

The tribunal ordered confiscation of Hasina’s and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal’s assets alongside their death sentences on 17 November 2025, with tribunal chairman Justice Md Ghulam Mortuza Mozumder also directing the government to pay “considerable” compensation to the July martyrs. 

Similar confiscation orders have followed in other verdicts, including the property of former MP Saiful Islam in the Ashulia case over the killing of six people and the burning of their bodies.

Meanwhile, the chief prosecutor welcomed the Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress Act, 2026, passed by parliament on Sunday, describing it as a milestone for Bangladesh’s justice system.

He said the law has created a clear legal avenue for victims of enforced disappearance and their families to seek justice.

In another development, the ICT-2 appointed state defence lawyers for 13 fugitive accused in the case filed over the killing of Asahabul Yamin in Savar during the 2024 mass uprising. The tribunal fixed 23 September for hearing on the formal framing of charges.

The case involves 19 accused, six of whom are in custody while 13 remain fugitives.

Yamin was shot on 18 July 2024 and was subsequently dragged onto a police armoured vehicle before being left on the road in a critically injured condition. He was later taken to Enam Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.