Dhaka: Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal has sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death in a case connected to the violent suppression of student protests. The verdict was announced while Hasina remained in India following her removal from office in August 2024.
The tribunal ruled that Hasina ordered the use of helicopters, drones and lethal weapons against demonstrators during the July protests. According to United Nations figures, more than 1400 people were killed in the unrest. Former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former Inspector General of Police Abdullah Al Mamun were also charged, with the court stating that they carried out Hasina’s instructions.
Prosecutors described Hasina as the mastermind behind the crackdown and demanded the maximum penalty. The three member bench led by Justice Muhammad Ghulam Murtaza Majumdar concluded that multiple charges had been proven, including incitement, conspiracy and complicity in killings.
Only one of the accused, former IG Abdullah Al Mamun, appeared in court. He confessed to the crimes and later became a witness. Asaduzzaman Khan remains in hiding, while Hasina has denied all allegations. In a recent interview she said the verdict was predetermined and politically motivated.
Security was tightened in Dhaka ahead of the announcement, with hundreds of protesters gathering outside the court. The tribunal confirmed three charges against Hasina, one carrying life imprisonment and two resulting in death sentences.
The case was the first major trial under the reconstituted tribunal, which was revived after the fall of the Awami League government in 2024. Prosecutors argued that crimes against humanity committed between 2009 and 2024 were directly linked to Hasina’s leadership.
The judgment is one of the most dramatic developments in Bangladesh’s recent political history and is expected to have far reaching consequences for the country’s future.