Former Dhaka Police Chief, 3 Officers Sentenced to Death for Protest Killings

A court in Bangladesh has sentenced a former Dhaka Metropolitan Police chief, Habibur Rahman, and three other officers to death for the murder of two protesters and the attempted murder of two others during mass anti-government demonstrations in July 2024. The sentences were handed down on Sunday.

In addition to the death sentences, another former police officer received a life sentence, and a fifth officer was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The charges against Rahman and his colleagues include the fatal shooting of a man who was hit by six bullets while clinging to the eaves of a building under construction in Dhaka. Prosecutors allege that Rahman, then the police commissioner, ordered the killings via radio and later provided financial incentives to the officers involved.

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We are very satisfied with the sentence.

The prosecution presented testimony from 14 witnesses, including four victims' families, along with other evidence to support the charges. However, only one of the five convicted officers was present in court when the verdict was delivered. Rahman and the other three sentenced to death are currently unaccounted for, leading the chief prosecutor to state that Interpol's assistance will be sought for their apprehension.

This ruling marks the fifth judgment delivered by the International Crimes Tribunal, which was reconstituted in November 2025. The tribunal was originally established in 2010 to prosecute crimes committed during Bangladesh's 1971 independence war. It was re-established after Sheikh Hasina was overthrown following violent protests in July and August 2024, during which the UN reported at least 1,400 deaths, primarily due to police shootings. Hasina, who fled to India in August 2024 after more than 15 years in power, has previously received a death sentence from the reconstituted tribunal. Her party and she herself have rejected the tribunal's proceedings, deeming them biased.

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We will request the help of Interpol to arrest the convicts who are still at large.