Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Tajul Islam on Thursday described former prime minister Sheikh Hasina as “the nucleus of all crimes” committed during the July uprising, arguing that she should receive the death penalty for her role in orchestrating crime against humanity.
Presenting the prosecution’s concluding arguments before Tribunal-1, Tajul said Hasina was the “mastermind and principal architect” behind the crimes against humanity committed during the violent suppression of the July movement in 2024.
“She was the centre of all decisions—the one who directed the entire state machinery to carry out these atrocities,” he told the court.
Tajul argued that Hasina’s actions warranted the highest punishment under the law.
“If each of the 1,400 murders carried out under her direction were to be punished separately, she should face 1,400 death sentences. Since that is not humanly possible, at least one death sentence is essential to ensure justice,” he said and added, “There is no scope to reduce her punishment.”
The prosecutor alleged that Hasina, then home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and former inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun orchestrated the killings in a “premeditated and systematic” manner.
“From the top of the command structure, Hasina personally ordered the killings. Her phone calls, directives, and other evidence demonstrate a vindictive and vengeful mindset,” he said.
According to the prosecution, law enforcement agencies—including the police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Ansar, and intelligence units—were deployed under Hasina’s instructions to crush the civilian movement.
Tajul also demanded the maximum penalty for Asaduzzaman, whom he described as a member of the “Gang of Four” that executed the operations.
“The massacre was planned at his residence. He personally oversaw drone and helicopter deployments and visited crime scenes to ensure the killings were executed as planned,” the prosecutor stated.
He alleged that Asaduzzaman even justified the killing of 233 children, saying they were not children but “youths”.
Regarding former IGP Abdullah Al-Mamun, Tajul noted that he had cooperated with investigators by providing evidence of enforced disappearances, leaving it to the tribunal to determine his punishment.
Speaking to reporters, Tajul said the prosecution’s evidence was “as strong as the Himalayas”.
“If this evidence were presented before any international court, including the ICC, it would ensure the highest punishment for every accused,” he said, adding that the trial is not an act of revenge, but a reckoning with history and a warning for the future, so that no leader ever dares to kill their own people again.
