Sheikh Hasina verdict highlights: UN ‘regrets’ death penalty for Sheikh Hasina, Yunus hails verdict

Bangladesh was tense ahead of the verdict in the charges against ousted PM Sheikh Hasina, with at least 30 crude bomb explosions and 26 vehicles torched across the country over the past few days.

Several former Indian envoys on Monday slammed the verdict of a special tribunal in Bangladesh that sentenced ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina to death, saying that the neighbouring country is once again "very polarised" which does not augur well for its stability and security.

Veteran diplomat and former Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh, Veena Sikri, asked what legality Dhaka's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has in trying a former PM, when it was appointed for trials only of those who had committed war crimes in the 1971 Liberation War.

"It is nothing but a kangaroo court," Sikri alleged.

Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina verdict LIVE: More than 800 people were killed and about 14,000 were injured in the student-led uprising in July and August of 2024, according to the health adviser to Bangladesh’s interim government. However, the United Nations in a February report estimated the death toll could be as high as 1,400.

Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina verdict LIVE: In recent media interviews, Hasina has described the ICT as a "kangaroo court" run by her opponents.

The ICT, originally set up to try hardened collaborators of Pakistani forces during the 1971 Liberation War, was amended by the current administration to bring leaders of the past regime, including Hasina, under its jurisdiction.

Despite its name, there is "nothing international about the ICT; nor is it in any way impartial," Hasina said.

Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina verdict LIVE: Commenting on the verdict, Hasina denied the charges as "biased and politically motivated" and said the judgment has been made by a "rigged tribunal" established and presided over by an "unelected government with no democratic mandate".

In his statement, Yunus said the verdict offered justice to the thousands harmed in the uprising of July and August 2024, and to the families who still carry their loss.

"We stand at a moment of rebuilding democratic foundations wrecked by years of oppression. The crimes at issue - the ordering of lethal force against young people and children whose only weapons were their voices - violated both our laws and the basic bond between government and citizens. These acts outraged Bangladeshis’ core values: dignity, resilience, and commitment to justice," he said.

Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina verdict LIVE: Hasina’s Awami League party called Monday for a nationwide shutdown to protest the verdict.

Her son Sajeeb Wazed, currently in the United States, said in a message to The Associated Press that the “verdict is a joke and meaningless. My mother is safe in India. The trials were so legally flawed they won’t survive any challenge once rule of law returns to Bangladesh.”

Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina verdict LIVE: The UN rights office, which determined in a report in February that Bangladesh's former government was behind systematic attacks and killings of protesters that possibly amounted to crimes against humanity, welcomed that verdicts had been reached.

However, she stressed that the office had also "consistently advocated for all accountability proceedings -- especially on charges of international crimes -- to unquestionably meet international standards of due process and fair trial".

"This is particularly vital when, as was the case here, the trials have been conducted in absentia and led to a capital punishment sentence."

"We ... regret the imposition of the death penalty, which we oppose in all circumstances." the spokeswoman added.

Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina verdict LIVE: The UN said Monday that former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina's sentencing for crimes against humanity marked "an important moment for victims", but she should not have been sentenced to death.

The UN rights office spokesperson said that the office had "consistently advocated for all accountability proceedings -- especially on charges of international crimes -- to unquestionably meet international standards of due process and fair trial".

"We ... regret the imposition of the death penalty, which we oppose in all circumstances." the spokeswoman added.

Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina verdict LIVE: The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, or BNP, headed by Hasina’s archrival and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, hailed the verdict.

BNP General Secretary Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said in a Facebook post that it wasn’t just a judgment on Sheikh Hasina’s crimes, but a “burial of all forms of dictatorship on this country’s soil.”

Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina verdict LIVE: Here is the full statement of Yunus on Hasina's court verdict:

"DHAKA, Today, the courts of Bangladesh have spoken with a clarity that resonates across the nation and beyond. The conviction and sentencing affirm a fundamental principle: no one, regardless of power, is above the law. This verdict offers vital, if insufficient, justice to the thousands harmed in the uprising of July and August 2024, and to the families who still carry their loss.

We stand at a moment of rebuilding democratic foundations wrecked by years of oppression. The crimes at issue—the ordering of lethal force against young people and children whose only weapons were their voices—violated both our laws and the basic bond between government and citizens. These acts outraged Bangladeshis’ core values: dignity, resilience, and commitment to justice.

As many as 1,400 lives were lost. They were not statistics but students, parents, and citizens with rights. Months of testimony detailed how lethal force, even from helicopters, was used against unarmed protesters. This verdict recognizes their suffering and confirms that our justice system will hold perpetrators accountable.

Bangladesh is now rejoining global currents of accountability. The students and citizens who stood for change understood this, and many paid with their lives—giving their today for our tomorrow.

The path ahead requires not just legal accountability but rebuilding trust between institutions and citizens. Understanding why people risk everything for genuine representation—and creating systems worthy of that trust—is essential. Today’s verdict is a step on that journey.

I have every confidence that Bangladesh will meet the challenges ahead with courage and humility. With commitment to the rule of law, human rights, and each person’s potential, justice will not merely survive in Bangladesh. It will prevail and sustain."

Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina verdict LIVE: “The courts of Bangladesh have spoken with a clarity that resonates across the nation and beyond. The conviction and sentencing affirm a fundamental principle: no one, regardless of power, is above the law," a statement from Bangladesh's chief adviser Muhammad Yunus read.

"This verdict offers vital, if insufficient, justice to the thousands harmed in the uprising of July and August 2024, and to the families who still carry their loss,” it added.

Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina verdict LIVE: Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG), an independent think-tank based in New Delhi, said that Sheikh Hasina's conviction does not meet basic international standards for fair trial, and is a miscarriage of justice for the victims.

"If Bangladesh had any evidence, it could have filed a petition before India's Supreme Court seeking Hasina's extradition…Because Bangladesh does not have any evidence and therefore, it decided to sentence Prime Minister Hasina and her colleagues in a Kangaroo Court trial," it added.

Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina verdict LIVE: ' The court found the ousted leader guilty of ordering the killings of students and instructing law enforcement agencies to use drones, helicopters, and other weapons against civilians.

“Sheikh Hasina ordered the law enforcing agencies to use drones for locating the congregating protesters and subsequently to use helicopters and lethal weapons to kill them,” Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder said, while reading the verdict on Monday.

Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina verdict LIVE: India last year said said it had received an earlier extradition request from Bangladesh, when Dhaka was seeking Hasina to attend her trial. At that time, it said it had no further comment.

Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina verdict LIVE: In its verdict that followed a months-long trial, the country's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) described Sheikh Hasina as the "mastermind and principal architect" of the violent repression that killed hundreds of protesters.

It also handed the death sentence to former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on similar charges.

Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina verdict LIVE: A statement from the Ministry of External Affairs read, “India has noted the verdict announced by the 'International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh' concerning former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.”

"As a close neighbour, India remains committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh, including in peace, democracy, inclusion and stability in that country," it said.

"We will always engage constructively with all stakeholders to that end," the MEA added.

Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina verdict LIVE: Hasina has been found guilty on three counts: incitement, order to kill and inaction to prevent the atrocities, the court said. But can she appeal against the order? Find out here.

Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina verdict LIVE: Hours after Sheikh Hasina was handed a death sentence over the crackdown on students protests that led to her ouster from Bangladesh last year, India issued a statement.

India said that it remains committed to the people of Bangladesh. “As a close neighbour, India remains commited to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh, including in peace, democracy, inclusion and stability in that country. We will always engage constructively with all stakeholders to that end,” a statement from the MEA read.

Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina verdict LIVE: Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was on Monday sentenced to death by a Dhaka court on three charges of crimes against humanity linked to last year’s student-led protests that forced her out of office and into self-exile.

Hasina has remained at a secret safe house in Delhi, where India is providing her full security, her son, Sajeeb Wazed, recently said. He added that New Delhi is treating her “like a head of state”.

Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina verdict LIVE: Sheikh Hasina said millions of Bangladeshis are toiling under the "chaotic, violent and socially-regressive" administration of Mohammad Yunus "will not be fooled by this attempt to short-change them of their democratic rights".

"They can see that the trials conducted by the so-called International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) were never intended to achieve justice or provide any genuine insight into the events of July and August 2025," she said.

Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina verdict LIVE: Some of those in the packed courtroom cheered when the court announced the death penalty for Hasina.

Many families of the killed and the injured during last year's uprising waited for hours outside the tribunal ahead of the verdict.

It appeared unlikely that Hasina would return to Bangladesh to face her sentence.

Bangladesh urged India on Monday to extradite former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal after both were sentenced to death for their role in the crackdown against a student uprising last year.

Dhaka said New Delhi was obliged to do so under an extradition treaty. Hasina, who fled after violent student protests last year, has been in India since.

Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina verdict LIVE: Bangladesh's foreign ministry has written to India, seeking the handing over of former Prime Minister and “fugitive accused” Sheikh Hasina citing a tribunal's death sentence to the Awami League leader. Read more here.

Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina verdict LIVE: Bangladesh law adviser Asif Nazrul on Monday said that the interim government will write to India once again to demand Sheikh Hasina's extradition after her guilty verdict was delivered.

"If India continues to shelter this criminal, it must understand that such an act is unfriendly to Bangladesh and its people. It is deeply condemnable. A verdict has been delivered today and it will continue at full pace as long as we are here," he was quoted as saying by Bangladesh's The Business Standard.