ICT sentences Hanif to death

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Thursday sentenced Mahbubul Alam Hanif, joint general secretary of the activities-banned Awami League, to death for crimes against humanity committed during the 2024 mass uprising, while three other party leaders have been sentenced to imprisonment until death. 
The tribunal also ordered the confiscation of half of each convict’s property, with the proceeds to be used to compensate those killed and injured during the uprising.
A three-member bench of ICT-2, headed by Justice Nozrul Islam Chowdhury, delivered the verdict.
The three other convicts are Sadar Uddin Khan, president of the Kushtia district Awami League and former chairman of Kushtia Zila Parishad; Asgar Ali, general secretary of the district Awami League; and Ataur Rahman, general secretary of the Kushtia municipality Awami League.

All four were tried in absentia.
The tribunal directed that proceeds from the sale of the confiscated property be distributed as compensation to the families of those killed and to those injured during the 2024 mass uprising through the July Foundation or another statutory organisation.
The tribunal framed three charges against Hanif and the other accused on 2 November 2025. It had earlier, on 6 October 2025, taken cognisance of the formal charges and issued arrest warrants for the fugitives. A total of 19 prosecution witnesses, including the investigation officer, testified during the trial.

Provocative statements
Under the first charge, Hanif was accused of endorsing provocative statements made by Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader at several events during the student-led mass movement.
At a discussion at the Jatiya Press Club on 29 July 2024, Hanif allegedly branded protesters as Jamaat activists, criminals and communal elements, and incited violence against them.
The prosecution argued that his statements encouraged and facilitated the use of lethal force against protesters, contributing to a crackdown in which more than 1,400 people were killed and over 25,000 injured.

Orders to suppress protests
The second charge centred on a meeting at the Kushtia district Awami League office on 27 July 2024, where Hanif allegedly instructed district party leaders Sadar Uddin Khan, Asgar Ali and Ataur Rahman to use maximum force to suppress the anti-discrimination movement.
The prosecution accused the four leaders of inciting and facilitating attacks on protesters. It said six demonstrators — Ashraful Islam, Suruj Ali Babu, Abdullah Al Mustakin, Osama, Bablu Farazi and Yusuf Sheikh — were shot dead in Kushtia on 5 August 2024, while many others suffered serious injuries.
Under the third charge, Hanif and the other convicts were accused of playing key roles in the killings of the six protesters.
According to the prosecution, acting on directives involving then prime minister Sheikh Hasina, the accused instructed local Awami League leaders and activists, with police support, to open fire on unarmed demonstrators at several locations across Kushtia city.

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