Dhaka: A local court in Bangladesh on Tuesday sentenced seven aides of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death on charges of crimes against humanity committed during the 2024 monsoon uprising. The verdict was delivered by a three-member International Crimes Tribunal based in Dhaka, led by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury.

According to Anadolu Agency, the seven convicts, who are currently fugitives in self-exile in India and the United States, include notable figures such as Hasina's Awami League party General Secretary Obaidul Quader, former state minister for Information Mohammad Ali Arafat, and others from various wings of the party. The tribunal ordered the confiscation of half the assets belonging to four of the convicts, which are to be distributed as compensation to the families of victims affected by the uprising.

Last November, Sheikh Hasina herself was handed a death sentence by the same tribunal for her involvement in the violent crackdown during the 2024 uprising, which resulted in at least 1,400 deaths and thousands of injuries. Hasina, who fled to neighboring India, has expressed intentions to return to Bangladesh by December.

Since the tribunals commenced, 68 individuals have been convicted, with 22 receiving death sentences. Eighteen of the accused remain at large, while four are in custody. The recent verdicts have strained diplomatic relations, with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's adviser emphasizing the importance of the deportation of Hasina and her aides from India to Bangladesh for improving bilateral ties.