The International Crimes Tribunal-2 on Tuesday concluded the trial of Awami League joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif and three others on charge of crimes against humanity committed during the July 2024 mass uprising, reserving the judgement until a later date.
The three-member tribunal, headed by retired High Court judge Nozrul Islam Chowdhury, announced the closure of the trial and said that the verdict would be delivered on a date to be announced later.
Hanif, who is being tried in absentia, faces charges of command responsibility for alleged crimes against humanity committed in Kushtia during the July-August 2024 mass uprising.
The other accused are Kushtia district Awami League president Md Sadar Uddin Khan, general secretary Md Ali Asgar Ali and Kushtia town Awami League general secretary Ataur Rahman Ata. All four accused remain absconding.
State-appointed defence counsel Amir Hossain sought acquittal of the accused, arguing that the prosecution had failed to establish the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
Chief prosecutor Md Aminul Islam, however, contended that Hanif, as a senior political leader, did not need to be physically present at the crime scene to incur criminal liability. He argued that Hanif had allegedly instructed and provoked party activists to commit the offences and therefore bore command responsibility for the crimes.
The tribunal had framed charges against the four accused on November 2, 2025 on three counts of crimes against humanity. The prosecution alleged that they ordered party activists to use ‘maximum force’ against protesters, made inflammatory statements that encouraged violence and were responsible for the killing of six people in Kushtia.
The trial formally commenced on November 26, 2025 with the prosecution’s opening statement.
According to the prosecution, Hanif, along with Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader, attended a press conference at Dhanmondi on July 15, 2024, where Quader allegedly made inflammatory remarks about the anti-government student movement. Hanif, who was seated beside Quader, allegedly endorsed those remarks.
The prosecution claimed that Awami League leaders portrayed the protesters as Jamaat activists, criminals and communal elements, and asserted that the party and its student wing were capable of suppressing the movement. Such statements, the prosecution argued, incited violence against demonstrators.
Another charge alleges that on August 5, 2024, Hanif and the three Kushtia leaders coordinated attacks on unarmed protesters. Awami League activists, allegedly backed by police, opened fire at several locations in Kushtia between 1:30pm and 4:00pm, killing six people.
The victims were identified as labourer Ashraful Islam, trader Babul Farazi, service holder Yunus, students Abdullah Al Mustakin and Md Usama, and Suruz Ali Babu. According to the prosecution, they had participated in or supported the student-led March to Dhaka programme.
