Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal has sentenced exiled the country’s ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, 78, to death in absentia for crimes against humanity during the 2024 student uprising, alongside two aides.
In a dramatic and highly controversial ruling on Monday, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) sentenced ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina to death in absentia, ostensibly, for “crimes against humanity” committed during last year’s student-led uprising.
The three-judge tribunal, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, found Hasina, along with two of her top former aides, guilty on multiple counts – including ordering lethal force, failing to prevent mass killings, and directing the use of helicopters and drones against civilian protesters.
Hasina, 78, who has been living in exile in India since her ouster in August 2024, did not appear in court. Prosecutors had demanded the maximum penalty, citing superior-command responsibility, and called for the confiscation of her assets to compensate victims’ families.
A Look at the Charges
The court based its verdict on five major counts filed by the prosecution, accusing Hasina and her co-accused of:
- Authorising or failing to stop the killing, torture, and inhumane treatment of protesters.
- Ordering the use of helicopters, drones, and live ammunition against student demonstrators.
- Being complicit in the murder of individual students, including the killing of Abu Sayed near Begum Rokeya University.
- Overseeing mass killings in Chankharpul, where six unarmed protesters were shot, and in Ashulia, where dead bodies were allegedly burnt to destroy evidence.
One of her co-accused, former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, pleaded guilty and testified against Hasina, becoming a state witness. Another, ex–home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, remains declared a fugitive.
Criticism, Denial, and Political Fallout
Hasina’s defence has vigorously rejected the tribunal’s legitimacy. She has repeatedly called the trial a “kangaroo court” and denied ever issuing orders to fire on unarmed civilians, calling the process politically motivated.
Her supporters within the Awami League decried the verdict even before it was delivered, warning that it would deepen political polarisation. Meanwhile, security in Dhaka was heavily tightened for the ruling, with deployment of army, Border Guard, Rapid Action Battalion, and police around the tribunal.
The case has drawn intense international attention. Last year’s crackdown, which sparked the trial, was itself preceded by a UN human rights report suggesting that up to 1,400 people may have been killed.
Tool Against Political Adversaries
Critics argue that the tribunal, revived by Hasina’s own government in 2009 to try wartime crimes, has now transformed into a tool against political adversaries. Observers are watching closely for how this verdict will affect Bangladesh’s stability, its diplomatic ties with India (where Hasina resides), and the upcoming elections reportedly scheduled for February 2026 under the interim government.
With Hasina tried in absentia, questions now turn to enforcement: How will Dhaka secure her return or apply the sentence? And what legal recourse remains? Under Bangladeshi law, fugitives convicted in their absence may not be eligible to appeal unless they surrender.
For her supporters, the verdict risks turning Hasina into a political martyr – a narrative that could reshape her legacy and Bangladesh’s future political landscape.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
