Bangladesh Tribunal Sentences Ex-PM Sheikh Hasina to Death for 2024 Crackdown
Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) a body originally established by the Awami League government on Monday sentenced ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death after finding her guilty of crimes against humanity linked to the July–August 2024 student protest crackdown.
Hasina and former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who both fled Bangladesh following last year’s uprising, were tried in absentia. Hasina is currently in exile in India, while Kamal’s whereabouts remain unknown. The tribunal also sentenced former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun to five years in prison after he turned state witness and provided what the judges described as “material evidence.”
The three-member tribunal, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, read the 453-page verdict live on state television. The courtroom reportedly broke into applause when Hasina’s death sentence was announced.
The verdict followed a month-long trial that concluded on October 23. Prosecutors presented evidence compiled in 14 volumes amounting to nearly 10,000 pages, including witness testimonies, medical and post-mortem reports, ballistic analysis, helicopter deployment records, media footage, shell casings, blood-stained clothing, and transcripts of phone conversations allegedly involving Hasina and senior officials. Fifty-four witnesses — including doctors, protesters and investigators — testified during the proceedings.
Tensions had been rising in Dhaka and across several districts in the days leading up to the judgment, with fresh outbreaks of violence and arson attacks. On Monday morning, an explosive device was detonated near the court premises, while protesters gathered at the partially destroyed Dhanmondi home of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, vandalised during last year’s unrest. Security forces also halted an attempt by demonstrators to demolish what remains of the historic residence.
The now-banned Awami League condemned the tribunal and called for a nationwide strike, alleging political persecution under the current regime. In a post on its X (formerly Twitter) handle, the party warned that the country’s sovereignty was at stake and accused those in power of trying to “suffocate and swallow Bangladesh piece by piece.”
Last week’s nationwide shutdown saw about 20 vehicles set ablaze. Authorities have since tightened security, with Dhaka Metropolitan Police chief Sheikh Mohammad Sazzat reportedly authorising officers to open fire if vehicles are torched or explosives thrown.
The sentencing marks a dramatic low point in the political downfall of Hasina — once one of South Asia’s most powerful leaders — as Bangladesh remains deeply polarised amid turbulent unrest and accusations of authoritarianism and human rights abuses.
