Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan has said the Awami League should be held accountable as a political party for the killings during the July-August 2024 uprising, in which over 1,500 people were reportedly killed and nearly 30,000 injured.

“We believe the Awami League must be tried as a party for the massacres it carried out during the July 2024 uprising,” he said, responding to a journalist’s question on Thursday at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) premises.

Asif Mahmud had just testified as a prosecution witness in a case concerning the killing of six civilians in Dhaka’s Chankharpul area on August 5, 2024.

He criticised attempts to restore the Awami League`s political image. “Many who benefited under Awami League rule are now trying by various means to rehabilitate the party. But after such a heavy toll in lives and injuries, the people of Bangladesh will not allow the guilty to be rehabilitated. If the struggle must continue, we are ready to do so,” he said.

Arrest warrants and progress in enforced disappearance cases

Speaking on two high-profile cases of enforced disappearances during the Awami League government, the adviser called recent developments a milestone.

He said both the International Crimes Tribunal and the Enforced Disappearance Commission had made significant progress despite facing “numerous obstacles” over the past year.

“Our Chief Adviser, Prof Muhammad Yunus, gave clear instructions that those involved in these heinous acts must be brought to justice,” he said, referring to newly issued arrest warrants for individuals accused of responsibility in those cases.

Describing the warrants as a victory for the government and the justice system, he called for the arrest process and ensuing trials to be carried out with full transparency and without interference.

“There must be no effort from any quarter to shelter or protect the offenders,” he added.

Repatriation of fugitives

When asked about efforts to bring back fugitives accused of crimes against humanity, Asif Mahmud said the government would act in accordance with legal procedures and international agreements.

“We will take appropriate steps, in line with the law and existing prisoner-exchange agreements with other countries, to bring them back,” he said.

The comments come amid increasing domestic and international scrutiny over political violence, accountability, and justice in Bangladesh following the 2024 unrest.