World
Bangladesh tribunal sentences Hanif to death over six Kushtia killings
The verdict expands post-uprising efforts to punish Awami League leaders.
The verdict expands post-uprising efforts to punish Awami League leaders.
Six people killed in Kushtia on August 5, 2024, during Bangladesh’s uprising have become the basis for a major accountability case. Prosecutors said leader Mahbubul Alam Hanif helped direct and encourage attacks on unarmed protesters, with local leaders and police support. The victims were Ashraful Islam, Suruj Ali Babu, Abdullah Al Mustakin, Md Usama, Babul Farazi and Yusuf Sheikh. Hanif and three Kushtia leaders, Sadar Uddin Khan, Azgar Ali and Ataur Rahman Ata, faced three charges before , which formally charged them on November 2, 2025.
On October 29, 2026, the tribunal’s three-member panel sentenced Hanif to death and the other three to imprisonment until death, adding life sentences for other charges. The trial and verdict took place because all four defendants remain at large. The tribunal also ordered half their immovable property confiscated, with proceeds directed to victims’ families and injured protesters. The ruling strengthens the transitional government’s push to punish the banned , but its practical effect depends on arrests, enforcement and appeals. Because the accused were absent, due-process concerns are likely to keep the verdict politically contested.
The tribunal sentenced Hanif to death , while the three other accused received . The ruling leaves practical enforcement dependent on the accused being arrested and raises due-process questions because the proceedings occurred .
ICT-2 ordered the confiscation of half of the convicted leaders’ immovable property. It directed that the proceeds be used to compensate the families of those killed and protesters who were injured, through the or another statutory body. The judgment therefore combined criminal punishment with a formal victim-redress measure.
The tribunal found Hanif guilty on the principal counts concerning the six killings and sentenced him to death. It sentenced Sadar Uddin Khan, Azgar Ali and Ataur Rahman Ata to imprisonment until death, while also imposing life imprisonment for the other two charges. The three-member panel delivered the verdict in absentia because all four defendants remained at large.
The prosecution concluded its arguments and sought the maximum punishment for all four defendants. The trial proceeded in absentia because Hanif and the other accused had not been arrested and remained at large. Reports described the defendants as absconding, leaving unresolved questions about how any sentence could be enforced and how the accused could pursue legal remedies.
A three-member panel of International Crimes Tribunal-2 framed three charges against Hanif, Sadar Uddin Khan, Azgar Ali and Ataur Rahman Ata. The allegations covered endorsement of provocative statements, encouraging and facilitating lethal force against protesters, and directing attacks that led to the six Kushtia deaths. moved the case from investigation into formal trial.
The case named Awami League joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif, Kushtia district president Sadar Uddin Khan, district general secretary Azgar Ali and Kushtia city general secretary Ataur Rahman Ata. Prosecutors attributed to Hanif a command and instigation role, including directing local leaders to suppress the anti-discrimination movement with force. The four accused remained at large as the prosecution brought the case before the .
Ashraful Islam, Suruj Ali Babu, Abdullah Al Mustakin, Md Usama, Babul Farazi and Yusuf Sheikh were killed in shootings in Kushtia on August 5, 2024. Prosecutors later alleged that Awami League leaders coordinated and facilitated attacks on unarmed protesters, with local party activists and police support. The killings became the factual basis for the later crimes-against-humanity case.