The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-2 today convicted and sentenced seven people, including Awami League (AL) General Secretary and former minister Obaidul Quader, to death in a case of crimes against humanity over killings during the July uprising.
The three-member second tribunal, headed by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, pronounced the judgment this afternoon.
The other convicts in the case are- AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Mohammad Ali Arafat, Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, Md Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil, Md Saddam Hossain and Sheikh Wali Asif Inan.
Here are the crimes for which the seven were convicted by ICT-2:
Obaidul Quader: As General Secretary of the Bangladesh Awami League, former Minister of Road Transport and Bridges, and a key member of the executive “Gang of Four,” Obaidul Quader was convicted of crimes against humanity, including murder, attempted murder, torture and other inhumane acts, by directly ordering, inciting, conspiring, abetting and failing to prevent systematic state violence against peaceful student protesters during the July 2024 Mass Uprising.
On July 11, 2024, he directly instructed then Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) President Md Saddam Hossain over telephone to violently suppress the movement (“Why aren’t you hitting them, why show them indulgence?”), and on July 15, he publicly incited armed cadres at the Dhanmondi party office (“Chhatra League will answer self-proclaimed Razakars”), triggering campus invasions that injured nearly 300 students at Dhaka University.
Furthermore, Quader coordinated the distribution of funds to armed cadres through his personal secretary and BCL leadership, directed Information and Communications Technology (ICT) State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak to throttle internet speeds, ordered former Chittagong Mayor Ajm Nasir to forcibly occupy Chittagong University and the city, announced a nationwide curfew on July 19 with explicit “shoot-at-sight” instructions, and conspired with senior ministers and law enforcement officials to conduct helicopter sniper attacks and arson cover-ups, resulting in over 1,400 deaths and 25,000 injuries nationwide.
AFM Bahauddin Nasim: As Central Joint General Secretary of the Bangladesh Awami League and former Member of Parliament for Dhaka-8, AFM Bahauddin Nasim was convicted of crimes against humanity involving murder, attempted murder, torture, abetment, incitement, conspiracy, complicity and failure to prevent widespread violence.
He participated in high-level party decision-making meetings on July 9, July 15 and August 3, 2024, where he supported directives to crush student protests, thereby provoking armed cadres to attack peaceful demonstrators.
Nasim played a key operational role in executing the nationwide “shoot-at-sight” curfew policy announced on July 19, personally supervised violent suppression in his home district of Madaripur through former mayor Khalid Hossain Yaad leading to deaths on July 18-19, and delivered a highly provocative speech at Farmgate on August 4 branding protesters as “Jamaat-Shibir, war criminals, identified terrorists, and anti-independence forces,” which directly incited party cadres and law enforcement to open fire across his Dhaka-8 constituency, including Bangla Motor, Paltan, Dhaka Medical College Hospital area, Gulistan and Chankharpool, killing at least 13 named individuals on August 4-5.
Mohammad Ali Arafat: As Executive Committee Member of the Bangladesh Awami League, former State Minister for Information & Broadcasting, and former MP for Dhaka-17, Mohammad Ali Arafat was convicted of crimes against humanity encompassing murder, attempted murder, torture, ordering, abetment, incitement, conspiracy, complicity and failure to prevent state atrocity crimes.
On the night of July 14, 2024, he personally entered the Dhaka University campus alongside Jubo League and BCL leaders to stage armed shows of force, plan attacks and orchestrate internet shutdowns across the university area prior to violent assaults that injured nearly 300 students the next day.
Arafat repeatedly issued public threats, highlighting a five-year stockpile of law enforcement ammunition on July 19, and orchestrated active media censorship, agreeing during a July 20 phone call with Obaidul Quader to forcibly shut down broadcasts of television channels like Bangla Vision, Desh TV, Channel 24 and NTV to suppress news of state violence.
Under his direct supervision, armed party cadres operating under police cover opened fire on protesters in his Dhaka-17 constituency, including Mohakhali, Nadda, Shahjadpur and Banani, killing at least 12 named individuals, and he subsequently defended the “shoot-at-sight” curfew and justified maximum state force in public press briefings on July 22, August 1 and August 4.
Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash: As Chairman of the Bangladesh Awami Jubo League and Central Executive Committee Member of the Awami League, Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash was convicted of crimes against humanity, including murder, attempted murder, torture, ordering, abetment, incitement, conspiracy, complicity and failure to prevent, for exercising command responsibility over Jubo League cadres deployed nationwide to crush the student movement.
Operating under directives from top regime leadership, he commanded Jubo League cadres to use lethal firearms against unarmed demonstrators, leading directly to mass killings such as the Bahaddarhat massacre in Chittagong on July 18, in which 19 people were killed, the Mohakhali attacks in Dhaka on July 19, in which more than 28 people were killed, multiple fatal shootings in Laxmipur and Feni on August 4, in which 11 people were killed combined, and student killings in Rajshahi on August 5.
On August 1, 2024, Parash presided over an event at Bangabandhu Avenue where he ordered maximum alertness to completely eradicate the student movement, and intercepted telephonic communications from the same day confirmed his direct ongoing coordination with Obaidul Quader to monitor and supervise armed cadre operations across Bangladesh.
Md Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil: As General Secretary of Central Awami Jubo League, Central Executive Committee Member of the Awami League, and former MP for Dhaka-14, Md Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil was convicted of crimes against humanity, including murder, attempted murder, torture, ordering, abetment, incitement, conspiracy, complicity and failure to prevent.
He initiated provocative rhetoric on July 12, 2024, in Sylhet, co-led the armed entry into Dhaka University on the night of July 14, where Jubo League cadres were documented firing pistols directly at students on July 15, and personally led armed cadres carrying firearms alongside police commanders in Mirpur on July 19, resulting in the direct shooting deaths of 26 protesters near Mirpur Police Station around 5:00pm.
Nikhil co-conducted the August 1 meeting instructing cadres to eradicate the uprising, and maintained direct field command over armed operations in Mirpur through August 4-5, supervising violence that resulted in a total of 69 deaths in the Mirpur area alone, alongside thousands of severe injuries.
Md Saddam Hossain: As Central President of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), Md Saddam Hossain was convicted of crimes against humanity, comprising murder, attempted murder, torture, abetment, incitement, conspiracy, complicity and failure to prevent widespread violence against student protesters.
On July 11, 2024, he threatened protesters at Raju Sculpture and received direct telephone instructions from Obaidul Quader (“Why aren’t you hitting them, why show them indulgence?”), along with strategy and funding to crush the movement.
On July 14-15, he led helmeted BCL cadres armed with firearms and blunt weapons across the Dhaka University campus, issuing public threats to “see the end” of protesters, which resulted in violent assaults injuring nearly 300 students and the deliberate blockade of emergency medical care at hospital facilities.
Saddam continued mobilizing BCL cadres across all educational institutions and districts, issuing further public threats on July 15-16 that led directly to six deaths on July 16 in Dhaka, Chittagong and Rangpur, over 400 injuries on July 17, and at least 23 deaths with over 2,500 injuries nationwide on July 18.
Sheikh Wali Asif Inan: As Central General Secretary of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), Sheikh Wali Asif Inan was convicted of crimes against humanity, including murder, attempted murder, torture, abetment, incitement, conspiracy, complicity and failure to prevent.
He received operational funds and instructions from Obaidul Quader through Quader’s personal secretary, conducted intimidating “Door-to-Door Campaigns” on July 13 to coerce residential hall students, and co-led armed, helmeted BCL cadres onto the Dhaka University campus on July 14-15 to physically assault peaceful protesters.
Inan personally supervised field attacks at Madhur Canteen and campus grounds, co-conducted the July 16 rally at Raju Sculpture that provoked nationwide cadre shootings killing six people, and blocked injured students from receiving hospital treatment.
Furthermore, a leaked telephone conversation broadcast by Al Jazeera on July 17 confirmed he received direct instructions from former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to execute nationwide violence, holding direct command responsibility for BCL attacks on July 18 that killed at least 23 people and injured over 2,500 across Bangladesh.
