Bangladesh ICT Sentences Ousted PM Hasina to Death for Crackdown

The Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has sentenced the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina (78) to death on Monday, following a trial that found her guilty of ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising in July and August 2024.

Ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina (78) death penalty for the killing of several people during the uprising, and a life sentence under charges for crimes against humanity. Ordering the use of lethal force to suppress the student-led uprising in July and August 2024.

The ruling is described as the "most dramatic legal action against a former Bangladeshi leader in decades." The verdict was delivered by the ICT in Dhaka amid tight security and in Hasina’s absence, as she fled to India in August 2024 and has remained there. The verdict can be appealed in the Supreme Court. Hasina, represented by a state-appointed counsel, dismissed the accusations as "politically motivated" and the tribunal proceedings as a "charade" run by "kangaroo courts." Her son, Sajeeb Wazed, stated they would not appeal unless a democratically elected government involving the Awami League took office. Prosecutors presented evidence of her direct command for lethal force. A United Nations report estimates that up to 1,400 people may have been killed during the protests between July 15 and August 5, 2024, with thousands injured—mostly by gunfire from security forces. This was the worst violence since the 1971 War of Independence.

The ruling comes months before parliamentary elections expected in early February. Hasina’s Awami League party has been barred from contesting the vote. The Muslim-majority South Asian country (population 170 million) is currently governed by an interim administration headed by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus.

Ahead of the verdict, the country was tense, with reports of at least 30 crude bomb explosions and 26 vehicles torched across the country, though no casualties were reported.

Security remains tight across Dhaka and other major cities, with paramilitary forces deployed, as authorities prepare for potential unrest following the verdict.