7 Former Awami League Leaders Face Formal ICT Charges Over Alleged Role in 2024 July Crackdown

Prosecutors allege the former ministers and adviser helped formulate and implement a state policy involving lethal force against the student-led movement.

TOPSHOT - South African lawyer and champion of international law Navi Pillay is pictured after she was awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, on October 9, 2026 at the historic Courtroom 600 of Nuremberg's Palace of Justice, venue of the 1945-1946 Nuremberg Trials against leaders of defeated Nazi Germany, in Nuremberg, southern Germany, where she was attending the Nuremberg Forum 2026 conference of the International Nuremberg Principles Academy. The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to South Africa's Navi Pillay, the judge who headed the Rwanda genocide tribunal and who last year presided over a UN commission which accused Israel of genocide in Gaza. Pillay, currently a judge on the International Court of Justice in a case where Myanmar also stands accused of genocide, has been "instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide are prosecuted," said Jorgen Watne Frydnes, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo. Photo by Frank BOXLER / AFP via Getty Images

The prosecution at the International Crimes Tribunal has formally submitted charges against seven senior Awami League leaders, accusing them of crimes against humanity in connection with the violent response to the July 2024 student-led uprising.

The charge sheet was filed with the tribunal's registrar on Monday. Those named are former ministers Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzaque, Shahjahan Khan, Dipu Moni and Faruk Khan, along with Mirza Azam and Taufiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, who previously served as energy adviser to the then prime minister. Six of the accused are already in custody, while Mirza Azam remains at large. The document will now be placed before the tribunal for a formal hearing at a date yet to be fixed.

Prosecutor Gazi Monawar Hossain Tamim explained that the case rests on the allegation that the seven individuals helped shape and implement a deliberate state policy to suppress the movement. He said the previous administration had adopted the crushing of the protests as official policy, and that the Awami League and its 14-party alliance had taken political decisions to end the demonstrations through force. As influential members of the then government, the accused are alleged to have participated in planning meetings, authorised the use of lethal force under curfew, and contributed to a coordinated crackdown.

The prosecution maintains that the violence resulted in approximately 1,400 deaths and around 25,000 injuries. The charges are framed under the principle of superior responsibility, meaning the accused are held accountable not only for any direct involvement but also for failing to prevent or punish crimes committed by subordinates while they held positions of authority.

Supporting evidence submitted with the charge sheet includes audio recordings of conversations said to involve the former prime minister and the accused, as well as the United Nations fact-finding report on the July events. Prosecutors argue that these materials help establish a pattern of coordinated decision-making at the highest levels of the previous government.

This filing is part of a broader set of proceedings before the reconstituted International Crimes Tribunal, which has been examining cases linked to the 2024 uprising since late that year. Several earlier cases have already produced verdicts, including death sentences for other party leaders. Officials have indicated that roughly 70 cases involving hundreds of accused are currently at different stages, from investigation to trial.

Legal analysts following the tribunal note that the latest charges place particular emphasis on political decision-making and policy-level responsibility rather than isolated acts of violence on the ground. Once the tribunal reviews the submitted materials, it will decide whether to take cognisance of the charges and proceed to a full trial. In the meantime, six of the accused remain in jail while efforts continue to bring the seventh before the court. The pace of the hearing will determine how quickly the case advances through the judicial process.