Published on: 17 November, 2025 22:59 IST
Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh’s ousted former Prime Minister, has been sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal following her conviction for orchestrating a brutal government crackdown on student-led protests last year.
The court held Hasina responsible for authorizing excessive force against demonstrators during the historic July-August 2024 protests, which rights groups say resulted in over 1,400 fatalities and led to the collapse of her administration.
Background on the Charges
- The charges stem from the events of July-August 2024, when student protests erupted across Bangladesh.
- Sheikh Hasina’s government was accused of ordering a severe crackdown involving killings, torture, and disappearances.
- Various rights organizations and international observers estimated the death toll from state violence at up to 1,400 individuals.
The Tribunal’s Verdict
- Hasina was tried in absentia after fleeing Bangladesh for India following her ouster in August 2024.
- The tribunal convicted her on three primary counts—incitement, direct orders to kill, and failure to prevent or punish crimes.
- Her former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal received the same sentence, while a former police chief turned state witness and received a reduced sentence.
Global Reaction and Political Fallout
The highly charged verdict has sent shockwaves through Bangladesh’s political landscape, with Hasina—now in exile—branding the proceedings as politically motivated and unfair. The ruling Awami League, once a dominant force, has been formally shut out of electoral politics, raising fears of further unrest and tightening of state security measures.
What Lies Ahead
Hasina’s supporters call the decision a gross miscarriage of justice, while her opponents see it as a long-overdue reckoning with abuse of power. As the interim government moves to stabilize the country under intense scrutiny, international organizations are closely monitoring the situation for potential rights violations and appeals for due process.
Bangladesh now stands at a critical crossroads, with the reverberations of this historic verdict likely to shape its political destiny for years to come.