Seventeen high-profile individuals, including former ministers and a state minister, were presented before the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1 in Dhaka on Monday, December 8th, for a scheduled hearing on charges of crimes against humanity, murder, and genocide.
The accused were transported under tight security from various jails, including Keraniganj and Kashimpur, for the appearance before the judicial panel headed by Justice Md. Golam Mortaza Majumder.
Seventeen individuals, including former Law Minister Anisul Huq, former ICT Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak, former Textiles and Jute Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi, former Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu, and several other former ministers and political leaders like Rashed Khan Menon and Hasanul Haque Inu. The judicial panel was scheduled to hear the progress of the case. Separate formal charges were filed against Salman, Anisul, Inu, and Palak. Testimony in Inu's case is reportedly already underway.
The tribunal has taken into account formal charges against Sheikh Hasina's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and Palak for a "massacre" related to shutting down internet services during the July coup. An arrest warrant was issued for Joy.
Formal charges were brought against Anisul and Salman for allegedly killing students and citizens using a curfew. On October 15th, the tribunal ordered the filing of a report against 45 people, including former Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, within two months. On July 20th, the court granted an extension for submitting an investigation report, following an earlier request.
Security measures were significantly tightened outside the court premises for the hearing. This is not the first appearance; 19 people, including ministers, were produced on April 20th this year, and earlier on February 18th, accused including 12 minister-state ministers and two advisers to the former prime minister were brought in.
The news you provided details a hearing on December 8, 2025. Searches for news on the same general topic from a similar time frame indicate a major development that occurred shortly before this hearing: Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal were convicted and sentenced to death in absentia on November 17, 2025, by the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh (ICT-1), also led by Justice Md.2 Golam Mortuza Majumder.
The convictions were for crimes against humanity related to the violent suppression of student-led protests in 2024, which led to her government's fall. The former IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who turned state witness, was sentenced to five years.
The government has since been exploring options, including the International Criminal Court (ICC), to bring back the fugitive convicts, Hasina and Kamal, who are reportedly in exile. A total of seventeen accused, including several former high-ranking ministers, were presented before the International Crimes Tribunal-1 in Dhaka on Monday for a hearing on cases alleging crimes against humanity, murder, and genocide. The judicial panel, headed by Justice Md. Golam Mortaza Majumder, is scheduled to review the case's progress. Key figures like former minister Anisul Huq and Zunaid Ahmed Palak face separate formal charges, with allegations against the latter, along with Sajeeb Wazed Joy, involving a "massacre" linked to the July coup internet shutdown.
The court is also hearing evidence in the case against former minister Hasanul Haque Inu. This hearing follows the recent, high-profile conviction and death sentence in absentia of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her former Home Minister for similar crimes related to the 2024 mass uprising.
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