Convicted AL leaders reject death sentences, vow to respond in due course

Awami League leaders sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal for crimes against humanity during the July Uprising have rejected the verdicts, saying they will respond to the sentences in due course and accusing the tribunal of being used for political purposes.

The reactions came after the tribunal on Tuesday sentenced former Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader and six other party and affiliated-organisation leaders to death in the case.

The six others are Awami League Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim; former State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat; Jubo League President Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash and General Secretary Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil; and Chhatra League President Saddam Hossain and General Secretary Wali Asif Inan.

All seven convicts are absconding and were tried in absentia.

A three-member bench of International Crimes Tribunal-2, headed by Chairman Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, delivered the verdict. The other members are Judge Md Manjurul Basid and Judge Noor Mohammad Shahriar Kabir.

The tribunal also ordered the confiscation of 50% of the assets of the seven accused and directed that the proceeds be used to support people affected by the uprising.

Six of the seven convicts directly or indirectly posted reactions to the verdict on Facebook.

Quader invoked a famous quote by former US President Franklin D Roosevelt in his reaction.

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” Quader wrote, accusing those in power of creating “an atmosphere of fear” because they felt their hold on power was under existential threat.

“December is not too far,” he said, apparently referring to a possible political comeback by the Awami League under ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

AFM Bahauddin Nasim said the verdict would not stop their political struggle.

“Our journey is guided by the ideals of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and the leadership of Sheikh Hasina,” Nasim wrote.

“Fear, intimidation, conspiracies or any verdict, nothing can stop this struggle,” he said.

Nasim claimed that the country’s “oppressed, persecuted, poor, distressed and working people” were ready to make history.

“In December, Sheikh Hasina will make her historic return,” he wrote.

Mainul Hussain Khan Nikhil said he was not afraid of the verdict.

“Fear? Not even in the slightest,” he wrote.

“There will be obstacles and adversity in the political arena. But I will not move even an inch away from my principles and the rights of the people,” Nikhil posted on Facebook.

Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash offered a brief response to the verdict: “We don’t care! Bring it on!”

Saddam Hussain described the verdict as a sentence handed down by a “kangaroo court” and said he would wear the punishment “as a badge of honour”.

“Let history record who stood for justice and who weaponised the courts to settle political scores,” he said.

“We will not be intimidated. And we will rise again,” he added, ending his statement with “Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu.”

Meanwhile, former state minister Mohammad A Arafat questioned the fairness of the tribunal proceedings, citing criticisms he attributed to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Arafat said HRW had criticised Bangladesh authorities for allegedly failing to ensure fair trials at the International Crimes Tribunal. He claimed the organisation had raised concerns about arrests without clear evidence and insufficient time being given to defendants to prepare their defence.

He alleged that the tribunal was being used for political revenge, arguing that genuine victims were consequently being deprived of justice.

In February, 2025, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) published a fact-finding report on Bangladesh’s July Uprising revealing that up to 1,400 people were killed during the weeks leading to Hasina's ouster.

The report accused the Hasina government of potential crimes against humanity.

In November, 2025, the rights body called the International Crimes Tribunal's death sentence against Hasina an important moment for victims of July Uprising, while  reiterating its opposition to capital punishment.