Protest Held Outside High Court Against Bail Granted in July Genocide Case

A group of demonstrators, under the banner of the Revolutionary Student-People Movement, staged a “Tribunal Siege” outside the main gate of the High Court on Monday to protest the bail granted to an accused in a case of crimes against humanity committed during the July uprising.

Around 12 to 15 protesters held banners at the High Court entrance, denouncing the alleged failure to ensure justice and the expedited bail given to the accused. The banners read: “Tribunal Siege Program Against the Failure to Grant Justice and Rapid Bail to July Massacre Accused.”

Rifat Rashid, President of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, was present at the demonstration. MJH Monju, Vice President of the movement, stated that they demand the resignation of all officials involved in granting bail from the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT).

Samrat Rubayet, Cell Coordinator of the movement, explained that the protest’s primary objective is to ensure that bail is not granted to accused individuals of the Tribunal cases.

The protest comes after Humayun Kabir Patwari, a leader of the Awami League in Lakshmipur, was granted bail on Sunday by International Crimes Tribunal-2. Patwari is accused in a case related to crimes against humanity during the July uprising in Lakshmipur. He was arrested in August 2024, shortly after the Awami League was ousted from power.

Following the crackdown on the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement during the July uprising, the interim government restructured the International Crimes Tribunal in October 2024 to prosecute crimes committed by the previous regime. Since then, the tribunal has sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan to death in separate verdicts.