Ex-Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sentenced to death over crackdown on student protesters

The deposed prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, has been sentenced to death by the country’s international crimes tribunal for crimes against humanity.

Hasina, 78, who has been in India and refused to return to stand trial, was tried in absentia. She was convicted on three counts, including incitement, ordering killings, and failure to prevent atrocities.

Delivering the judgment in a packed Dhaka courtroom, Judge Golam Mortuza Mozumder said all elements of the alleged crimes were established.

Former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, also a fugitive, was sentenced to death on four similar counts, while former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who pleaded guilty, received a five-year jail term.

The verdict was aired live across national media, coming ahead of elections expected in February 2026. Bangladesh has faced heightened political instability and sporadic violence since the end of Hasina’s rule.

The United Nations has estimated that up to 1,400 people were killed in crackdowns during her final months in power, figures that formed part of the prosecution’s case.

Chief prosecutor Tajul Islam earlier expressed hope that the ruling would satisfy public demands for justice.

Hasina did not recognise the court’s authority and labeled the process politically motivated, calling the case “preordained” in an interview in October. She was assigned a state lawyer after refusing to participate.

Meanwhile, the interim government described the judgment as “historic”, urging citizens to remain calm, restrained, and responsible.

The verdict immediately heightened tensions across the country. Security was ramped up in major cities, including Dhaka, where tear gas was used to disperse protesters.

Ahead of the judgment, Bangladesh had already been on edge, with at least 30 crude bomb explosions and 26 vehicles set ablaze in recent days.

Sajeeb Wazed, Hasina’s son, also a former adviser in her government, told reporters he had anticipated the death sentence.

He said she is safe in India and “will be protected by Indian security forces”.

The tribunal was established in 2010 by Hasina’s own Awami League government to prosecute atrocities from the 1971 liberation war. It was reconstituted by the interim administration after her ouster in August 2024.