Bangladesh’s ousted PM sentenced to death over student crackdown

A Bangladesh war crimes court sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death, concluding a months-long trial that found her guilty of ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising last year. The verdict represents the most dramatic legal action against a former Bangladeshi leader in decades and comes ahead of parliamentary elections expected in early February, Reuters reports.

Hasina’s Awami League party has been barred from contesting, and observers warn that November 17 ruling could trigger fresh unrest ahead of the vote.

The International Crimes Tribunal, Bangladesh’s domestic war crimes court based in Dhaka, delivered the verdict amid tight security and in Hasina’s absence; she fled to India in August 2024. Hasina received a life sentence for crimes against humanity and a death sentence for the killing of several people during the uprising.

Reports indicate that there was cheering and clapping in the courtroom following the pronouncement of the death sentence. The verdict can be appealed to the Supreme Court, though Hasina’s son and adviser, Sajeeb Wazed, told Reuters that they would not appeal unless a democratically elected government allowed the Awami League’s participation.

During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Hasina had directly ordered the use of lethal force to suppress the student-led protests in July and August 2024. According to a United Nations report, up to 1,400 people were killed during the demonstrations between July 15 and August 5, 2024, with thousands more injured—most by gunfire from security forces—marking the deadliest unrest in Bangladesh since its 1971 war of independence.

Hasina was represented by a state-appointed defense counsel, who argued that the charges were baseless and requested her acquittal. Ahead of the verdict, Hasina dismissed the tribunal proceedings as unfair, asserting that a guilty verdict was “a foregone conclusion.” In a Reuters interview last month, she described the trial as a “politically motivated charade” conducted by “kangaroo courts” under an unelected government composed of her political opponents. She added that she had been denied adequate notice of hearings and a meaningful opportunity to defend herself and denied any personal involvement in the use of lethal force or other alleged crimes.

Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority country of 170 million, has been governed by an interim administration led by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus since Hasina’s ouster. While the country has remained largely peaceful, political stability is yet to be fully restored. Hasina warned in the Reuters interview that growing anger among Awami League supporters could lead to millions boycotting the upcoming parliamentary elections.

In the days leading up to November 17 verdict, tensions ran high, with at least 30 crude bomb explosions and 26 vehicles torched nationwide, though no casualties were reported. Security remained tight across Dhaka and other major cities, with paramilitary forces deployed around key government buildings and the tribunal complex. Authorities stated they were prepared for any unrest following the ruling.

By Vafa Guliyeva