Bangladesh sentences seven Hasina-era leaders to death

A Bangladesh tribunal sentenced seven senior Awami League officials, including former general secretary Obaidul Quader, to death in absentia for crimes against humanity tied to the government's attempt to crush the 2024 uprising that killed an estimated 1,400 people, according to the UN. Former leader Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India in August 2024, was herself sentenced to death in absentia last November and has said she will return voluntarily in December.

A state-appointed defense lawyer argued the seven men were convicted for the actions of supporters rather than direct involvement and that a lesser sentence would have sufficed. The ruling brings the total convicted in uprising-related trials to 68, with 22 sentenced to death, though only four of those remain in custody.

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