Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, 7 others sentenced to death in crimes against humanity case

POBNEWS24, Dhaka, Sept 15, 2026 : The International Crimes Tribunal has pronounced the death sentence on 7 others, including Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, in a case of crimes against humanity in the July coup. Within an hour of the verdict, a cocktail explosion occurred in front of the Supreme Court.
The cocktail explosion occurred between 1:15 and 20 minutes on Tuesday at the entrance of the Chief Justice and other judges of the Supreme Court.
Confirming the truth of the incident, Shahbagh Police Station OC Moniruzzaman said that who or what threw the cocktail and fled is being verified. Action will be taken against those involved in the incident after investigation.
Earlier, a three-member judicial panel led by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, Chairman of the International Crimes Tribunal-2, sentenced seven leaders of the banned Awami League and its affiliates and affiliates to death.
Those sentenced to death include Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Jubo League President Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, General Secretary Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil, and banned Chhatra League President Saddam Hossain and General Secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Inan. All seven defendants sentenced to death are currently absconding.
The tribunal said in its verdict that half (50 percent) of all the movable and immovable properties of defendants Obaidul Quader, AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Mohammad Ali Arafat, Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash and Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil were confiscated and that appropriate compensation be paid to all those killed and injured during July or August 2024 or their families through the July Foundation or any other statutory institution from the proceeds of the sale of the said properties.
The International Crimes Tribunal has charged Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader with three crimes against humanity, namely conspiracy, incitement, ordering the suppression of the movement, kidnapping and murder, in connection with the July uprising.
Several audio recordings of Obaidul Quader were played to the tribunal during the hearing of this case. In these audio recordings, Mr. Quader can be heard instructing his leaders and workers to suppress the July uprising.
One of the allegations brought against Quader is that he directly ordered the suppression of the movement in a mobile phone conversation with Chhatra League President Saddam Hossain on July 11, 2024 at 5:50 pm.
Quader then said, “Why don’t you kill them, why give them protection?”
Later, on July 14, at a press conference at Ganabhaban, Sheikh Hasina addressed the press conference, calling them “children and grandchildren of the king.”
He has been accused of supporting and inciting the crime.
At the same time, the next day, Quader ordered the leaders and activists of his party’s sister organization, Chhatra League, to suppress the anti-discrimination student protesters by saying, “Chhatra League will respond to the self-proclaimed Razakars.” On July 15, Sheikh Wali Asif Inan ordered the students to resist the movement.
The party’s joint general secretary Bahauddin Nasim was present at the press conference and supported and incited the crime.
In this context, the complaint states that on July 15, armed terrorists from the Awami League, Jubo League and Chhatra League, along with law enforcement officers, brutally attacked the protesting students at Dhaka University, Bahauddin Nasim’s constituency.
At the same time, inspired by Quader’s instructions and other statements, armed activists of Chhatra League, along with law enforcement officers, attacked students at various educational institutions in the country, including Dhaka University.
About 300 students of Dhaka University and many students across the country were injured in such attacks.
It is alleged that Quader called the then State Minister for Information and Communication Technology, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, and ordered the internet speed to be slowed down to suppress the movement.
At the same time, on July 16, 2024, Obaidul Quader called former mayor of Chittagong City Corporation, AJM Nasir Uddin, and ordered him to occupy all areas of Chittagong Metropolitan City, including Chittagong University.
Following his order, Awami leaders and activists shot and killed Mohammad Wasim, Faisal Ahmed Shanto and Md. Faruk in Muradpur area under Chandgaon police station in Chittagong.
On the same day, six innocent and unarmed protesters across the country, including Abu Sayeed, a student of Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur, were killed.
The charges against him state that Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader ordered party leaders to build resistance in their respective areas on July 17, 2024 to suppress the movement.
The next day, at a press conference at the Awami League office in Dhanmondi, he called the ongoing anti-discrimination movement anti-government and conspiratorial.
Obaidul Quader, after a meeting of his party and the heads of the 14 parties at Ganabhaban on July 19, said about the imposition of curfew and deployment of the army, “This is definitely a curfew, it will be shoot at sight,” and Obaidul Quader ordered shooting as soon as he saw the meaning.
The charges also state that Bahauddin Nasim, as the Joint General Secretary of the Awami League, played a key role in implementing these decisions through Awami League leaders and activists and law enforcement agencies across the country.