Hanif Sentenced to Death for Crimes Against Humanity; Three Other Leaders Get Life Imprisonment

The International Crimes Tribunal has sentenced Mahbubul Alam Hanif, joint general secretary of the banned Awami League, to death in a case over crimes against humanity committed during the July mass uprising. Three other accused in the same case have been sentenced to imprisonment until death.

The three-member International Crimes Tribunal-2, led by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, delivered the verdict on Thursday. The other two members of the tribunal are Judge Md Manjurul Bachid and Judge Nur Mohammad Shahriar Kabir.

The three sentenced to imprisonment until death are Kushtia district Awami League president and former zila parishad chairman Sadar Uddin Khan, Kushtia district Awami League general secretary Asgar Ali, and Kushtia municipal Awami League general secretary Ataur Rahman. All four convicts, including Hanif, are absconding.

The judges of Tribunal-2 took their seats after 11:50am on Thursday for the pronouncement, and the tribunal began delivering the verdict before noon. Tribunal chairman Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury said that since none of the accused were present, they were not reading out the full verdict; they were announcing the sentences handed to each.

The verdict orders the confiscation of half of the immovable property of all the convicts in the case. The money from selling the confiscated property is to be given, through the July Foundation or another statutory body, as compensation to those killed and injured in the July movement, the tribunal directed.

Five charges were brought against the accused in the case, and all of them were proven. The accused received different sentences on the different charges.

The first charge states that on August 5, 2024, at the instigation, provocation, approval and direction of Mahbubul Alam Hanif, cadres of the Awami League, Jubo League and Chhatra League under him, along with members of the law enforcement agencies, opened fire on protesting students and people at various places in Kushtia town. Six people were martyred in the shooting that day — Ashraful Islam, Suruj Ali, Abdullah Al Mustakin, Md Usama, Babul Faraji and Yusuf Sheikh. With this charge proven, the tribunal sentenced Hanif to death. On the same charge, Sadar Uddin Khan, Asgar Ali and Ataur Rahman were sentenced to imprisonment until death.

The second charge concerns other inhumane acts. It states that during the July uprising, as part of a criminal plan, Hanif and his associates intentionally inflicted severe physical injury, torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment on hundreds of unarmed civilians and students in Kushtia and other parts of the country. These acts included shooting, beating, unlawful detention and depriving the injured of medical care, and they were committed with Hanif's knowledge and consent. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with rigorous labour for this offence. The other three accused also received life imprisonment on the second charge.

The third charge concerns persecution on political grounds. It states that during the uprising, Hanif and his associates branded the protesters as BNP, Jamaat, terrorists and anti-state forces, thereby inciting the killing, torture and indiscriminate arrest of protesters. All four accused, including Hanif, were sentenced to life imprisonment with rigorous labour on this charge.

The fourth charge accuses the four of conspiracy and complicity in committing crimes against humanity. It states that, holding responsible positions in the Kushtia district Awami League, they knowingly conspired and assisted in implementing the policy formulated by ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her cabinet to suppress the 'March to Dhaka' programme by lethal means. All four, including Hanif, received life imprisonment with rigorous labour on this charge.

The fifth charge accuses them of 'joint plan and criminal organisation'. It states that during the uprising, unarmed students and civilians were attacked on a widespread and systematic scale. Under a common persecutory policy, the Awami League, Jubo League, Chhatra League and their allied 14-party alliance committed these offences as a criminal organisation and jointly planned them. The accused in this case committed the offences as part of that organisation. All four received life imprisonment with rigorous labour on this charge as well.

After the verdict, tribunal prosecutor Gazi Monawar Hossain Tamim told reporters about the fifth charge that the crimes against humanity committed through widespread and systematic attacks across the country were an organisational plan of the Awami League, implemented by the Awami League, Jubo League, Chhatra League and the 14-party alliance. As this was proven, the four accused were sentenced to life imprisonment. He noted that the verdict thus carries an observation treating the Awami League as a terrorist organisation.

State-appointed defence lawyer Amir Hossain said at the tribunal premises that the verdict seemed unexpected to him and that he was disappointed. Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam said: 'We believe this is a very timely verdict. We have welcomed this verdict in honour of the souls of the July martyrs.'

With this, verdicts have now been delivered in a total of eight cases over crimes against humanity committed during the July mass uprising. A total of 72 people have been sentenced in these verdicts. Among them, 23 accused — including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan — have been sentenced to death. Of those sentenced to death, 19 are absconding and four are in prison.