In a landmark ruling, Bangladesh’s ousted former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, was sentenced to death today by a three-judge bench of the International Crimes Tribunal‑1 in Dhaka. Tried in absentia, Hasina was found guilty of crimes against humanity for the state’s violent suppression of a student-driven uprising in July and August 2024 that reportedly left hundreds—possibly more than 800—dead and thousands wounded.
The verdict marks the most severe legal judgment ever imposed on a former Bangladeshi head of government, and comes as Bangladesh braces for a national election early next year amid deep political polarisation.
In Absence & Under Exile
Hasina, who fled to India in the wake of mass protests in August 2024, was tried without being present in court.
The tribunal concluded that she orchestrated the deployment of drones, helicopters and lethal weapons against civilian demonstrators, acted as the “chief architect” of the crackdown, and also failed to prevent mass killings of students and protesters.
Her longtime ally and former Home Minister, Asaduzzaman Khan, received a similar capital sentence. Meanwhile a third defendant, a former police chief who became a state witness, was handed five years in prison.
Political Fall-Out & Legal Questions
The ruling has triggered celebrations in parts of Dhaka, with crowds cheered the announcement, while security forces were deployed across the city to prevent unrest.
Supporters of Hasina and her party, the Awami League, have condemned the trial as politically motivated and lacking fair-trial guarantees. Meanwhile, analysts say the decision could further destabilise Bangladesh’s fraught political landscape as it heads toward general elections in February 2026.
Diplomatic implications loom large, too: Bangladesh has formally asked India to extradite Hasina, yet India has declined so far, meaning the sentence may remain unenforced unless new actions are taken.
