Rise and power base
Public roles are source-confirmed; controversies or allegations must be read separately as source-backed evidence-layer material.
Bangladesh
Public recordLast updated 7 Aug 2026
Hasan Mahmud
A senior Awami League figure and former information minister discussed in the context of media regulation and press-freedom debates.
PoliticsMediaHuman rights
- Public identity
- Former Information Minister
- Era
- 2019-2024
- Main area
- Bangladesh
- Organizations
- Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Bangladesh Awami League
Aliases: Dr Hasan Mahmud, হাসান মাহমুদ
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No allegation is presented as a court finding, and no relationship is presented as proof of wrongdoing.
Why this person is listed
Included because public records identify his ministry role and reporting documents his statements defending media-law enforcement and government press-freedom positions.
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Documented themes
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Legal cases
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Official findings
8
Verified sources
2
Organizations
2
Areas
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Connected people
1
Incidents
Historical overview
Documented patterns
Reported themes: media regulation, official communications, Digital Security Act/Cyber Security Act debate, press-freedom criticism.
Public impact
The public-interest value is understanding how power in state institutions, policing, media, urban governance, or finance is discussed in records.
Historical legacy
Sources include official statements defending Bangladesh's press-freedom record and news reporting on his comments after a journalist's arrest under digital-law context.
Next steps should model each claim, case, court order, response, or correction as a separate structured record.
Important claims, actions, and controversies
Human rights abuse · Officially investigated
Claims and accountability proceedings concerning the 2013 Shapla Chattar crackdown
Rights groups, human-rights reporting, and later ICT proceedings present differing accounts of the May 5-6, 2013 operation, casualties, and use of state force around the Hefazat rally.
Cross-checked
Important incidents
Government crackdown · 2013-05-05 2013-05-06
2013 Shapla Chattar rally, crackdown, and accountability proceedings
A record of the May 5-6, 2013 rally and operation around Motijheel's Shapla Chattar, competing casualty accounts, and later ICT proceedings.
Casualty counts vary substantially by source: 2026 tribunal reporting refers to a prosecution account of 58 deaths, a 2013 rights report attributed 61 deaths to Odhikar, and contemporary reporting also described a lower government count. None should be presented as a final judicial finding.
Explore incidentInfluence footprint
Other
OTHER
The public profile and related sources identify a party or political connection to the Awami League; this is not a finding of criminal responsibility.
Reviewed
Life, power and events timeline
Hefazat rally
The context of the Hefazat-e-Islam rally at Motijheel's Shapla Chattar.
Operation and disputed casualty accounts
Sources published differing accounts of the operation, use of force, and casualty figures.
Complaint filed
Later reporting says a complaint was filed before the tribunal in 2024.
Arrest and production warrants
Reporting described arrest and production warrants for several accused before the ICT.
Formal charges taken cognisance of
ICT-2 took cognisance of formal charges against Sheikh Hasina and 40 others, with warrants reported for absconding accused.
Trial pending: The matter is awaiting trial.
Cases and legal records
Structured sources
How Hasina became a predator of press freedom
ReviewedThe Business Standard · 21 Aug 2024
Public analysis of press-freedom erosion, cyber-law use, and institutional control during the Hasina government.
Journalism not a crime, but journalists are not above law: Hasan Mahmud
ReviewedThe Business Standard · 31 Mar 2023
Public report on Hasan Mahmud's comments after a Prothom Alo journalist's arrest and his defense of digital security law context.
Shapla Chattar killings: Tribunal issues arrest warrant for Hasina, other absconding accused
ReviewedThe Business Standard · 27 Jul 2026
The report says ICT-2 took cognisance of formal charges against Sheikh Hasina and 40 others over the 2013 Hefazat rally and reported prosecution claims concerning 58 deaths.
ICT-2 accepts charges against Hasina, 40 others in ‘Shapla Chattar’ crackdown case
ReviewedBangladesh Sangbad Sangstha · 27 Jul 2026
BSS reports that ICT-2 took cognisance of the formal charge over the May 5, 2013 crackdown and ordered accused in custody to be produced while warrants remained outstanding for absconding accused.
ICT accepts charges against Hasina, 40 others over 2013 Shapla Chattar crackdown
Reviewedbdnews24.com · 27 Jul 2026
The report describes the complaint filed in 2024, the tribunal's acceptance of charges in 2026, 31 absconding warrants, and competing prosecution accounts of the death toll.
Shapla Chattar incident: ICT issues arrest warrants for Hasina, 4 others
ReviewedThe Daily Star · 12 Mar 2025
The Daily Star reports arrest and production warrants in the Shapla Chattar proceeding and attributes allegations about planning and responsibility to the prosecution.
ICT permits interrogation of accused in Shapla Chattar case
ReviewedBangladesh Sangbad Sangstha · 24 Aug 2025
BSS reports an ICT order permitting interrogation of several accused in the Shapla Chattar proceeding and describes the complaint brought on behalf of Hefazat leaders.
Blood on the Streets: The Use of Excessive Force During Bangladesh Protests
ReviewedHuman Rights Watch · 1 Aug 2013
Human Rights Watch documented the 2013 protest violence through interviews and described the casualty and force accounts as contested and requiring independent investigation.
61 killed in Shapla Chattar drive: Odhikar
DisputedOdhikar, reported by Dhaka Tribune · 15 May 2013
The report attributes a total of 61 deaths to Odhikar's account of the May 2013 operation; this figure is presented as a rights-group claim rather than an established judicial finding.