Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority South Asian nation of more than 170 million people, has remained under close international scrutiny since the student-led uprising of 2024 that brought down the government of Sheikh Hasina. The country has since gone through a major political transition, with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) returning to power under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in February 2026. The latest development in this continuing political and legal upheaval is a series of death sentences handed down to seven senior figures associated with Hasina’s Awami League.
On 15 September 2026, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal-2 sentenced seven people to death for crimes against humanity linked to violence during the July-August 2024 uprising. The convicts are Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, former state minister Mohammad Ali Arafat, Jubo League Chairman Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, Jubo League General Secretary Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil, and Bangladesh Chhatra League leaders Saddam Hossain and Sheikh Wali Asif Enan. All seven were tried in absentia.
The tribunal also ordered the confiscation of 50 percent of the movable and immovable property of Quader, Nasim, Arafat, Parash and Nikhil. According to Bangladeshi reports, the proceeds are intended to be used to assist families affected by the violence.
The tribunal's name can sometimes cause confusion. Despite being called the International Crimes Tribunal, it is a Bangladeshi domestic court established under the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act of 1973. The law gives the tribunal jurisdiction over specified international crimes, including crimes against humanity, and provides for appeals to Bangladesh's Supreme Court.
The latest verdict follows the November 2025 conviction of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal. Both were sentenced to death in absentia by ICT-1 over their roles in the suppression of the 2024 uprising. Former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who cooperated with the prosecution, received a five-year prison sentence.
The United Nations Human Rights Office estimated that as many as 1,400 people may have been killed between 1 July and 15 August 2024 and reported thousands of injuries. The UN said the former government, security and intelligence services, and violent elements associated with the Awami League had been involved in serious human rights violations during the protests.
The tribunal proceedings, however, have also generated criticism. Human Rights Watch has raised concerns about the fairness of trials conducted in absentia and about the use of the death penalty. Hasina has rejected the accusations against her and has described the proceedings as politically motivated. These competing positions remain an important part of the international debate over the cases.
The fate of Hasina has also become a significant issue in India-Bangladesh relations. Hasina fled Bangladesh on 5 August 2024 and has remained in India since then. Bangladesh has formally requested her extradition, while New Delhi has said that the request is being examined under the applicable legal and judicial procedures. India has not announced a decision to surrender her.
The issue became more prominent after Hasina addressed a media event from New Delhi on 5 August 2026, marking the second anniversary of her departure from Bangladesh. During the event, she said she wanted to return to Bangladesh in December, describing it as the country's month of victory. India subsequently stressed that it had no role in organising the private event and did not endorse the views expressed there.
The Bangladesh government objected strongly to Hasina's continued public activities from Indian territory and reiterated its demand for her extradition. Indian authorities, meanwhile, have maintained that its territory should not be used for political activities directed against another country while the extradition request remains under consideration.
The political circumstances in Dhaka have changed considerably since Hasina's departure. The interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus governed Bangladesh until the formation of a new government in February 2026. Tarique Rahman, chairman of the BNP and son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, became prime minister on 17 February after his party's victory in the parliamentary election.
Another significant change came in August, when BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was elected president by parliament. He received 255 votes against 88 for opposition candidate Oli Ahmed. The presidency is largely ceremonial, while executive authority rests with the prime minister and cabinet.
These political changes have added another dimension to the debate over Hasina's possible return. Her legal status is now closely linked to Bangladesh's relations with India, while her supporters and opponents continue to interpret the 2024 uprising and the subsequent trials in sharply different ways.
The question of whether Hasina will return voluntarily, be extradited, or remain in India therefore remains unresolved. Her stated intention to return in December does not, by itself, alter the legal position created by the death sentence against her. Any actual return would have to be considered in the context of Bangladesh's judicial proceedings, India's legal obligations and the bilateral extradition framework.
The diplomatic consequences were visible during the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on 12-13 September. India had invited Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to attend the outreach session in his capacity as the current chair of BIMSTEC. Rahman ultimately did not travel to New Delhi. Bangladeshi officials said he had not been invited in his capacity as prime minister, while Indian officials said the invitation had been extended under the established practice of inviting regional-group leaders to the outreach session.
The absence nevertheless highlighted the sensitivity surrounding India-Bangladesh relations. Reports indicate that both governments are continuing diplomatic discussions, including efforts to arrange a future visit by Rahman to India. The Hasina extradition issue remains one of the principal subjects in that relationship.
For Bangladesh, the death sentences represent another major stage in the legal reckoning over the violence of 2024. For India, the issue presents a difficult diplomatic and legal question involving a neighbouring country, a former head of government and a bilateral extradition request. For the wider region, the developments demonstrate how the consequences of Bangladesh's 2024 uprising continue to shape its domestic politics as well as its relations with India.
The coming months may therefore be important not only for the fate of Sheikh Hasina but also for the direction of Bangladesh's political transition and its relationship with its largest neighbouring country.
---
*Senior journalist based in Guwahati
Comments