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Bangladesh ex-PM Sheikh Hasina gets death penalty year after violent overthrow of her regime
Security in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka and in other parts of the country was beefed up on Monday ahead of the verdict
The International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh sentenced former PM Sheikh Hasina to death after finding her guilty in the “crimes against humanity” case on Monday for her order to use drones and helicopters to fire on civilian crowds, among other charges.
The court found Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, guilty of working together to commit atrocities on the protesters during the 2024 Bangladesh protests which eventually led to Hasina's ouster.
The court said that the elements constituting crimes against humanity have been fulfilled against Hasina and her two aides. It added that Hasina, in a core committee, passed a motion to allow use of lethal weapons.
Along with Hasina, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal was also sentenced to death.
“Accused prime minister Sheikh Hasina committed crimes against humanity by her incitement order and also failure to take preventive and punitive measures under charge 1,” the court said .
“Accused Sheikh Hasina committed one count of crimes against humanity by her order to use drones, helicopters and lethal weapons under charge number 2,” the court added.
Hasina was tried in absentia as she is currently in India in exile after fleeing from Dhaka following the fall of her regime in Bangladesh in 2024. Her co-accused Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal is also in exile, although his location is unknown.
Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun was the only accused present in the court on Monday for the verdict reading as he had pleaded guilty in July for his involvement in the uprising in 2024. He will be given a “lenient sentence", said the court, which will be announced at a later date in view of severity of his crimes.
The court said that two accused's abscondence, despite multiple notices sent for appearance, “is admission of their guilt".
Track live updates of Sheikh Hasina court hearing here.
The verdict of the much-anticipated case against her came amid heightened tensions in the country as violence was reported a day ahead of the ruling.
The security in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka and in other parts of the nation was beefed up on Monday ahead of the verdict reading. In Dhaka and other parts of the nation, paramilitary border guards and police were deployed after Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party called for a shutdown across the nation on Monday, reported news agency AP.
What were the charges against Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina was facing a total of five charges which include-
- orchestrating mass killings of protesters in Dhaka
- the use of helicopters and drones to fire on civilian crowds
- the murder of student activist Abu Sayed
- the incineration of bodies in Ashulia to destroy evidence
- the coordinated killing of demonstrators in Chankharpul.
What Sheikh Hasina said before conviction?
Ahead of the court' verdict, Hasina addressed her supporters through a voice message and said that does not worry about such trials and that “god gave life; one day God will take it away”.
She also accused Bangladesh's interim government caretaker and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus seized power “illegally and unconstitutionally” and said that “destroying” her party Awami League is not so easy as it “grew the soil and the people” and not “from the pocket of an illegal power grabber”.
The former Bangladesh PM said that she would continue to serve the people of Bangladesh.
‘There will be confrontations’
A day ahead of the ruling, Sheikh Hasina's son and political advisor Sajeeb Wazed said on Sunday that the supporters of their party Awami League would not let national elections to be conducted in February if the ban on their party is not lifted and hinted that the protests by the party supporters could even turn violent.
“We know exactly what the verdict is going to be. They're televising it. They're going to convict her, and they'll probably sentence her to death…What can they do to my mother? My mother is safe in India. India is giving her full security,” said Wazed, who lives in Washington DC, reported news agency Reuters.
"We will not allow elections without the Awami League to go ahead…Our protests are going to get stronger and stronger, and we will do whatever it takes. Unless the international community does something, eventually there's probably going to be violence in Bangladesh before these elections ... there's going to be confrontations,” he said.
