A Bangladesh war crimes tribunal on Monday handed down a death sentence to ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, wrapping up a months-long trial that held her responsible for ordering a lethal crackdown on a student-led uprising last year.
The verdict marks one of the most consequential legal actions against a former Bangladeshi premier in decades and comes just months before national elections expected in early February.
With Hasina’s Awami League already barred from contesting, fears are mounting that the ruling could ignite renewed unrest ahead of the polls.
The International Crimes Tribunal, Bangladesh’s domestic war crimes court based in Dhaka, announced the judgment under stringent security measures and in Hasina’s absence, as she fled to India in August 2024.
Hasina received a life sentence for crimes against humanity and the death penalty for the killings that occurred during the uprising. The courtroom erupted in cheers and applause as the death sentence was read out.
The former premier retains the right to challenge the decision before the Supreme Court. However, Hasina’s son and adviser, Sajeeb Wazed, told Reuters a day before the ruling that they would not pursue an appeal unless a democratically elected government—one including the Awami League—takes office.
During the trial, prosecutors claimed they had obtained evidence proving Hasina ordered security forces to use deadly force to crush the student movement that swept the country in July and August 2024.
A United Nations assessment estimated that as many as 1,400 people were killed between July 15 and August 5, 2024, with thousands more injured—many from gunfire by security forces.
Hasina was defended by a state-appointed lawyer, who insisted the charges were fabricated and urged the court to acquit her.
The former premier, however, had repeatedly dismissed the proceedings as politically motivated, calling the outcome “predetermined.”
Tension had been rising nationwide in the days leading up to the verdict, with at least 30 crude bomb blasts and 26 vehicles torched across different cities. No casualties were reported.
Hasina, 78, who has remained in India since she was overthrown in August 2024, challenged the legitimacy of the Tribunal in an email interview with Reuters last month.
"These proceedings are a politically motivated charade," she said. "They have been brought by kangaroo courts, with guilty verdicts a foregone conclusion. They are presided over by an unelected government which consists of my political opponents."
She also said she was denied adequate notice of the hearings and any meaningful opportunity to mount a defence, adding that she was not personally involved in the use of lethal force or other alleged crimes.
The Muslim-majority South Asian country of 170 million people has been governed by an interim administration headed by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus since Hasina fled. Although the country has been largely peaceful since, political stability is yet to return.
In the Reuters interview, Hasina warned of growing anger among supporters of the Awami League and said that millions of party loyalists would boycott the parliamentary elections in February.
On Monday, security remained tight across Dhaka and other major cities, with paramilitary forces deployed around key government buildings and the tribunal complex.
