KATHMANDU: Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been found guilty of three out of five charges of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka.
The court, which livestreamed the verdict, ruled that Hasina was the chief planner behind killings that took place during the August 2024 student uprising. The tribunal also handed death sentences to former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, while former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, already in custody, had earlier confessed to his role as a co-accused.
Hasina, 78, has been living in India for the past 15 months after being ousted from power on August 5 last year. She was accused of ordering brutal crackdowns on demonstrators and later defying court orders to return to Bangladesh to face trial. Her properties are expected to be seized and distributed to victims’ families.
The verdict has plunged Bangladesh into turmoil. The government has declared high alert, deployed 15,000 police personnel in Dhaka, and authorized officers to open fire on violent protesters. Overnight, at least two buses were set ablaze as unrest escalated.
The charges against Hasina and other officials relate to killings, torture, enforced disappearances, and the use of lethal force, including allegations that police and ruling-party-linked armed groups were instructed to attack unarmed civilians. One charge involves the murder of a student from Begum Rokeya University, while another concerns six protesters shot dead in Dhaka’s Chankharpul area.
The tribunal reviewed 8,747 pages of evidence and heard testimonies from 54 witnesses, including former IGP Mamun. October 23 marked the end of final arguments, with the judgment delivered on November 17.
Hasina has rejected all accusations, while opposition groups claim the trial was politically driven. The verdict marks the first major ruling related to last year’s violent anti-government uprising.
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