A special tribunal in Bangladesh has sentenced the country’s former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, to death after finding her guilty of crimes against humanity. The verdict was delivered on Monday by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Dhaka.
According to Judge Golam Mortuza Mozumder, Hasina was found guilty on three counts, namely incitement, issuing an order to kill, and failing to prevent atrocities. Speaking in a crowded courtroom, the judge declared: “We have decided to inflict her with only one sentence — that is, sentence of death.”
The charges stem from a brutal crackdown during a student-led uprising in mid-2024, when thousands of demonstrators took to the streets to protest her rule. Prosecutors argued that under Hasina’s leadership, state forces used lethal force, including helicopters and drones, against protesters.
Hasina did not appear in court; she has been living in self-imposed exile in India since fleeing Bangladesh in August 2024 amid the unrest.
Her defence has consistently rejected the charges as politically motivated.
The tribunal, led by Justice Mozumder, has also charged two other senior figures: former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and ex-Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun.
Prosecutors claimed that the accused orchestrated a “coordinated, widespread and systematic attack” on unarmed protesters, amounting to crimes against humanity.
Officials say as many as 1,400 people may have died in the crackdown between July and August 2024, based on investigations and reports cited by the prosecution.
Human rights groups and international observers have raised concerns over both the scale of the violence and the tribunal’s impartiality.
The prosecution had asked the court not only for the maximum penalty but also for the confiscation of Hasina’s assets, to compensate families of victims.
Following today’s ruling, they plan to seek an Interpol arrest warrant for Hasina, if she does not return to face the sentence.
The Business Standard
Hasina’s sentencing comes at a highly charged moment in Bangladesh’s political history, with her Awami League party already barred from participating in upcoming parliamentary elections.
