Bangladesh Ex-PM, Sheikh Hasina Sentenced To Death For Crimes Against Humanity
A court in Bangladesh on Monday sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death for crimes against humanity.
The verdict, read aloud by Judge Golam Mortuza Mozumder in a packed courtroom in Dhaka, drew cheers from those present.
Sheikh Hasina, 78, did not attend the trial. She has been in India and has ignored court orders to return.
The trial focused on whether she ordered a violent crackdown against a student-led uprising that eventually led to her removal from power in August 2024.
The ruling, broadcast live on national television, comes ahead of Bangladesh’s first elections since Hasina’s ouster.
Judge Mozumder said that the case met all the legal elements required to classify the actions as crimes against humanity.
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Hasina was found guilty on three charges: incitement, issuing an order to kill, and failing to prevent atrocities.
“All the… elements constituting crimes against humanity have been fulfilled. We have decided to inflict her with only one sentence — that is, sentence of death,” Mozumder said
Alongside Hasina, former Interior Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who is also a fugitive, was sentenced to death for four counts of crimes against humanity.
Former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who admitted guilt, received five years in prison.
Bangladesh has experienced political instability since Hasina’s long rule ended, with violence affecting preparations for elections expected in February 2026.
The United Nations estimated that up to 1,400 people were killed during crackdowns as Hasina attempted to hold on to power, an issue central to the trial.
Chief prosecutor Tajul Islam said ahead of the verdict that he hoped it would satisfy the public’s “thirst for justice” and mark an end to crimes against humanity in the country.
Prosecutors had filed five charges, including failure to prevent murder, all of which fell under Bangladeshi law’s definition of crimes against humanity.
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The trial included months of testimony delivered in Hasina’s absence, detailing how she allegedly ordered mass killings.
Hasina dismissed the proceedings, calling them a “jurisprudential joke.”
She refused to recognize the court’s authority and rejected all charges, relying on a state-appointed lawyer she did not choose.
In an interview with AFP in October, Hasina said a guilty verdict was “preordained” and that she would not be surprised if the court ruled against her.
Recent weeks have seen unrest in the capital, including crude bombs and petrol bombs thrown at government buildings, buses, and religious sites.
The Bangladeshi foreign ministry also summoned India’s envoy, demanding that Hasina be prevented from giving interviews or spreading messages seen as harmful.
In October, Sheikh Hasina expressed sorrow for the lives lost during the violent protests, but her remarks angered many, who accused her of ruthlessly trying to retain power.
She also criticized the interim government’s ban on her former ruling party, the Awami League, saying it has worsened the political crisis in the country of 170 million people ahead of the upcoming elections.
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