(DHAKA, November 17, 2025)—On November 17, 2025, the International Crime Tribunal (ICT) announced its verdict in the case against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and others.
The ICT sentenced Hasina and Kamal to death in absentia for crimes against humanity related to the government’s violent suppression of student-led protests in July and August 2024. The tribunal also found Mamun, who had been in police custody since September 2024, guilty and ordered a five-year prison term due to his cooperation with investigators and support as a state witness.
On October 8, 2025, Bangladesh’s ICT issued arrest warrants against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 29 other individuals in two separate cases over enforced disappearances and torture committed during the Awami League’s rule. Three days later, the Bangladesh Army Headquarters announced the arrest of 15 army officers, marking a significant step towards domestic accountability measures to address long-standing human rights violations. However, Fortify Rights continues to call for the removal of the death penalty from the ICT Act.
Fortify Rights has repeatedly advocated for accountability for enforced disappearances in Bangladesh, including through a news release published on August 26, 2025. Earlier, on February 14, 2025, Fortify Rights called on the government to investigate protest-related killings and past crimes, including enforced disappearances. In addition, Fortify Rights authored at least three op-eds published in leading media outputs, including Bangla Outlook, The Diplomat, and Dhaka Tribune, advocating for justice for survivors and the families of enforced disappearances. Fortify Rights also engaged in coordinated joint advocacy initiatives seeking accountability in Bangladesh. For example, on June 16, 2025, Fortify Rights also joined 15 other international human rights organizations in a joint statement led by Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, urging the Interim Government of Bangladesh to extend the mandate of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances until at least December 31, 2025 and to safeguard the Commission’s independence and investigative work. Complementing these public advocacy measures, Fortify Rights also undertook direct engagement with accountability actors, meeting with prosecutors from the ICT and urging them to pursue accountability regardless of the perpetrators’ rank or affiliation.