Once a symbol of the country’s drive to prosecute atrocities committed during the 1971 Liberation War, the International Crimes Tribunal has turned the page, shifting its focus to violence surrounding the July–August 2024 mass uprising.
But as the spotlight shifts, the wheels of justice for Liberation War atrocities have ground to a near-halt. Twenty-nine cases against 105 defendants remain stuck in legal limbo at the tribunal, virtually frozen since the political changeover in 2024.
The long-pending cases are now waiting for their next hearing dates, with no major movement in the proceedings.
According to tribunal records, these cases, all predating the upheaval, are now quietly gathering dust, awaiting hearing dates with no movement in sight.
“None of the accused in these cases are currently behind bars,” Tribunal Deputy Registrar Md Mahmudul Hasan told TIMES of Bangladesh, noting that the majority are out on bail.
A tribunal built for 1971 crimes
Bangladesh’s mission to prosecute crimes against humanity committed during its Liberation War officially took shape on 25 March 2010, when the Awami League government of the day established the International Crimes Tribunal inside the old High Court building.
The tribunal was specifically brought into being to try gravest-tier allegations, including genocide, murder, rape, systematic torture, and other war crimes perpetrated throughout the 1971 conflict.
As the docket expanded, a second tribunal was created in 2012 to handle the surging workload. Later, as the volume of active cases began to taper off, the tribunal’s overall structure was streamlined and reorganised accordingly.
Over the past 15 years, the tribunal has handed down verdicts in 59 cases, sentencing 197 individuals to a range of penalties.
Yet the proceedings did far more than deliver legal outcomes, they left an indelible mark on Bangladesh’s political landscape.
In particular, the execution of capital sentences against six senior political heavyweights grew into one of the most fiercely contested chapters in the nation’s modern history.
Those sent to the gallows included five high-ranking Jamaat-e-Islami figures and one senior BNP leader. The series of executions opened with Abdul Quader Molla, followed in turn by Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Muzahid, Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, Matiur Rahman Nizami, and Mir Quasem Ali.
These landmark judgments remain squarely at the heart of an enduring debate over Bangladesh’s political trajectory, its judicial integrity, and the lasting memory of the Liberation War.
July cases reshape tribunal priorities
The tribunal’s focus shifted dramatically following the fall of the Awami League government in August 2024.
In the wake of this political sea change, a slate of judges, prosecutors, and investigation agency officials stepped down.
The interim administration subsequently overhauled the tribunal, appointing a new chairman and restructuring the second tribunal in 2025.
Yet no sooner had the tribunal been reorganised than it found itself facing a radically transformed set of demands.
Hundreds of formal complaints poured in, alleging widespread killings and crimes against humanity during the mass uprising of July and August 2024.
For the state, investigating and prosecuting these fresh atrocities immediately became a matter of paramount urgency.
Cases tied to the summer violence swiftly seized centre stage, taking clear precedence across both investigative efforts and courtroom proceedings.
Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam acknowledged that prioritising the July-August cases has inevitably slowed progress on the older, Liberation War-era files.
Speaking to TIMES, he confirmed that the tribunal intends to bring the cases arising from the July-August uprising to a complete close before finally redirecting its sights back to the unresolved 1971 trials.
