A former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, has been sentenced to death by a war crimes court for her involvement in a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising. The ruling marks a significant legal action against a former Bangladeshi leader and comes ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for early February.
Hasina’s political party, the Awami League, has been disqualified from participating in the upcoming elections, raising concerns that the verdict could lead to further unrest. The International Crimes Tribunal, located in the capital city of Dhaka, delivered the verdict in Hasina’s absence as she had fled to India in August 2024.
The court sentenced Hasina, aged 78, to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity and handed down the death penalty for her role in the killing of several individuals during the uprising. Following the pronouncement of the death sentence, there was applause and celebration in the courtroom.
Hasina has the option to appeal the verdict in the country’s Supreme Court. In response to the ruling, Hasina criticized the tribunal as biased and politically motivated, accusing the unelected government of orchestrating a rigged trial to undermine her and the Awami League.
During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence of Hasina’s direct orders to use lethal force to quell the 2024 student-led protests, which resulted in a significant number of casualties. The violence during the protests, as reported by the United Nations, was the worst in Bangladesh since its war of independence in 1971.
Hasina, who was represented by a state-appointed defense counsel, maintained her innocence and questioned the fairness of the tribunal proceedings. The interim government refuted her claims, asserting that the tribunal had operated transparently and with oversight.
Tensions have been high in Bangladesh leading up to the verdict, with multiple incidents of bomb explosions and vehicle arson reported. The country, under the interim administration of Muhammad Yunus, has experienced relative calm since Hasina’s departure, but concerns about political stability persist.
Hasina’s fall from power marks a significant shift in Bangladesh’s political landscape. She had previously led the Awami League to electoral victories and had been in power intermittently since 1996. However, her regime faced criticism for alleged autocratic tendencies and human rights violations.
Economic challenges, including the impact of global events like the Russia-Ukraine conflict, have added pressure on Bangladesh’s economy, leading to the country seeking financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund. Hasina’s flight from the country following the uprising symbolized a dramatic end to her once-dominant political career.