Bangladesh: Ousted PM Sheikh Hasina Sentenced To Death For Crimes Against Humanity

Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death on Monday, finding her guilty of crimes against humanity for her role in orchestrating a brutal crackdown on student-led protests in July-August 2024 that left up to 1,400 people dead, mostly from gunfire by security forces.

The three-judge bench, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, delivered the verdict in a televised 453-page judgment broadcast live from the tribunal in Dhaka, convicting Hasina in absentia along with her former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who also received the death penalty. Former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun was sentenced to five years in prison for his involvement.

The trial, which began in October 2024 under the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, centered on Hasina's alleged orders for the use of lethal weapons, including helicopters and drones, against unarmed protesters demanding quota reforms and an end to her authoritarian rule. The court detailed evidence from witness testimonies, including protesters who survived shootings, and reports of denied medical treatment, falsified post-mortems, and threats to doctors. "Sheikh Hasina committed crimes against humanity by her incitement, order, and failure to take punitive measures," the judges stated, noting her core committee's explicit motion to deploy lethal force.

The court observed that the Hasina administration disregarded the students’ demands. Rather than engaging with them, the former prime minister belittled the protest movement and used the term “Razakars”—a highly offensive label in Bangladesh—to describe the students.

According to the court, these remarks triggered widespread outrage among students, including many women. It further stated that Sheikh Hasina subsequently directed authorities to “eliminate the protesting students.”

The judges also noted that testimony from prosecution witnesses established that the assault on Dhaka University students was carried out by affiliates of the Awami League, such as the Chhatra League and the Juba (Yuva) League.

The court added that Hasina instructed security forces to deploy drones to track groups of demonstrators and to use helicopters and lethal force against them.

The court added that former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun were culpable of crimes against humanity, noting that they aided the deployment of drones, helicopters, and lethal weaponry and failed to prevent the resulting atrocities, making them liable for punishment.

Nevertheless, Abdullah Al-Mamun received a pardon after providing a full account of the events and acknowledging his role.

In delivering the convictions of Hasina and Kamal, the court remarked that their decision to flee indicated an awareness of their own guilt.

Hasina, 78, fled to India on August 5, 2024, via military helicopter amid the uprising that ended her 15-year rule and forced her Awami League party underground. Living under protection in New Delhi, she has denied the charges, calling the tribunal a "kangaroo court" and the proceedings a "foregone conclusion".

Her son, Sajeeb Wazed, speaking from Washington DC, warned of the verdict's inevitability and threatened to block February 2026 elections unless the ban on Awami League is lifted, insisting no appeal would be filed until a democratic government includes her party.