Sheikh Hasina Sentenced to Death in Absentia Over 2024 Crackdown

Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia on Monday after the International Crimes Tribunal found her guilty of crimes against humanity linked to last year’s deadly crackdown on student-led protests. The ruling concluded a months-long trial that examined the government’s response to demonstrations that swept the country in July and August 2024.

The tribunal ruled that Hasina ordered the use of lethal force, including helicopters and drones, against crowds protesting a government decision to reinstate a reservation policy allocating 30 per cent of public-sector jobs to relatives of veterans from the country’s independence war. What began as student dissent rapidly escalated into nationwide unrest. According to United Nations estimates, up to 1,400 people were killed and thousands injured during the unrest and the subsequent security response.

In its verdict, the court described Hasina as the “mastermind, planner, order-giver, and superior commander” of the actions carried out by security forces during the uprising. Hasina, currently in exile in India, did not attend the hearings. Heavy security surrounded the court as judges delivered the sentence. Former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal was also sentenced to death, while a former police chief received a five-year term after agreeing to testify.

Dhaka has repeatedly asked New Delhi to extradite Hasina and Khan, but India has not issued a public response. Hasina and her political allies have dismissed the case as politically driven. Speaking to Reuters from exile, Hasina said, “We lost control of the situation, but to characterise what happened as a premeditated assault on citizens is simply to misread the facts.” The Awami League, the party she led for more than a decade, denounced the tribunal as illegitimate and called for a nationwide shutdown to protest the judgment.

International criticism of the government’s actions last year has persisted. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said there were “reasonable grounds to believe” that hundreds of extrajudicial killings and widespread abuses took place with the knowledge and involvement of senior political figures. The tribunal’s verdict was broadcast live, prompting disruption in several parts of Dhaka. Police intervened near the museum dedicated to Hasina’s father, where crowds gathered in anger after the ruling.

Bangladesh is currently governed by an interim administration headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, who assumed leadership days after Hasina was forced from office in August 2024. The interim authorities urged the public to remain calm, while the Awami League remains barred from contesting upcoming elections. Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed, said the family would not appeal the ruling unless a future elected government includes the party’s participation.