A special tribunal in Dhaka on Monday sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death after convicting her in absentia of crimes against humanity for her role in the violent suppression of student-led protests in July and August 2024.
The International Crimes Tribunal found the 78-year-old guilty on multiple counts, including ordering lethal force and failing to prevent atrocities that resulted in an estimated 1,400 deaths, according to United Nations figures.
Hasina, who fled to India in August 2024, dismissed the ruling as the work of a “rigged tribunal” run by an unelected government.
The court imposed the death penalty for Hasina’s authorisation of drones, helicopters, and lethal weapons against demonstrators.
Former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan received the same sentence, while ex-police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun was given five years after cooperating with prosecutors.
The tribunal examined 10,000 pages of documents, dozens of physical exhibits, and testimony from over 80 witnesses, including survivors and medical personnel.
It also ordered the government to compensate families of those killed and wounded during what has become known as the July movement.
The verdict can be appealed to Bangladesh’s Supreme Court.
Bangladesh formally renewed its request for India to extradite Hasina and Khan under a 2013 treaty, though experts described the likelihood as low given New Delhi’s close ties with the former leader and the treaty’s political-offence clause.
India issued a brief statement noting the verdict and pledging constructive engagement without addressing extradition.
The interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus called the ruling a “historic verdict” while urging calm amid heightened security and scattered violence ahead of the announcement.
Elections are scheduled for early 2026, with the banned Awami League barred from participating and millions of overseas Bangladeshis newly eligible to vote by post.
Analysts warn the decision could deepen political divisions while marking Bangladesh’s first major transitional-justice moment after decades of polarised rule.