International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam said capital punishment was handed down against seven absconding accused, including Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, because the charges against them were proved beyond doubt.
Speaking to journalists following the verdict in the case filed over crimes against humanity committed during July 2024 Mass Uprising, the chief prosecutor expressed gratitude for the outcome.
He noted that each accused faced four charges in the case, with the tribunal finding that most of the charges were proved beyond doubt.
Pronounced earlier in the day by the three-member ICT-2, chaired by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, the judgment sentenced Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, AL Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Executive Committee Member Mohammad Ali Arafat, Jubo League Chairman Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, Jubo League General Secretary Md Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil, Bangladesh Chhatra League President Md Saddam Hossain, and its General Secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Inan, to death.
Addressing the status of the absconding convicts, Aminul said as they have now been convicted, effective measures will be taken to arrest them and bring them back to Bangladesh if their locations can be identified.
Regarding asset confiscation, the tribunal ordered the forfeiture of 50 per cent of all movable and immovable properties of Obaidul Quader, AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Mohammad Ali Arafat, Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, and Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil.
The Chief Prosecutor explained that the government will implement the judgment by ascertaining what properties each convict owns and taking half of the properties found in their names under state control.
Proceeds from the sale of these confiscated properties will be distributed through the July Foundation or another statutory organisation to provide appropriate compensation to persons killed and injured during July–August 2024, or to their family members.
Md Aminul Islam added that a 30-day period for appeal will begin after the judgment is published.
Clarifying the legal timeline, he noted that while there may be no scope for confiscating property or taking other measures until the expiry of the 30-day period, there will be no legal impediment to implementing the judgment once that timeframe passes.
