Seven, including Obaidul Quader, Nasim and Arafat, sentenced to death over crimes against humanity

Seven people, including Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, Joint General Secretary A F M Bahauddin Nasim and former State Minister for Information Mohammad A Arafat, have been sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal for crimes against humanity committed during the July mass uprising.

The other four convicts are 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 Enan.

The verdict was announced at around 12:15pm on Tuesday (September 15) by a three-member bench of International Crimes Tribunal-2, headed by Chairman Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury.

All seven accused had been absconding since the beginning of the case. The tribunal took formal cognizance of the charges against them on December 18 last year and issued arrest warrants against them.

The tribunal framed charges on January 22, while the trial began with the prosecution's opening statement on February 17. After the completion of witness testimony, the prosecution presented its arguments from August 4 to August 12, seeking the maximum penalty of death for the accused.