Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT–BD) has sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death after finding her guilty on three counts of crimes against humanity linked to the 2024 student-led uprising that toppled her Awami League government.

The verdict, delivered by a three-member bench headed by Justice Mohd Golam Mortuza Majumder, comes after a months-long trial marked by controversy and political tension. The tribunal also convicted her former Home Minister, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, while extending a pardon to ex-police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who turned state witness.

According to the judgement, Sheikh Hasina and Kamal “acted in connivance” to suppress student protests through state violence. The tribunal concluded that their actions — including the alleged use of drones, helicopters, and live ammunition against demonstrators — constituted crimes against humanity under Bangladeshi and international law.

The court observed that Hasina’s remarks branding the protesting students as “Razakars”, a historically pejorative term, triggered widespread anger and intensified the violence. Instead of responding to legitimate student demands, the tribunal said, Hasina ordered the “elimination of protesting students”, resulting in hundreds of deaths across the country.

Witnesses testified that Awami League-affiliated groups such as the Chhatra League and Yuva League aided security forces in targeting protesters, particularly around Dhaka University. According to the tribunal’s findings, Hasina authorised law enforcement and paramilitary units to employ drones and armed helicopters to track and neutralise student gatherings.

The panel determined that both Kamal and Mamun abetted these actions through complicity and failure to prevent atrocities. However, the court pardoned Mamun after he confessed to his involvement and provided detailed cooperation to prosecutors.

Reading the verdict, Justice Majumder declared Hasina guilty on three counts — incitement, direct orders to kill, and wilful failure to prevent atrocities. “We have decided to inflict her with only one sentence — the sentence of death,” the judge announced, as the courtroom was placed under heavy security.

Kamal received the same sentence in absentia. Their abscondence, the court said, was “indicative of guilt and consciousness of wrongdoing.”

The five-count indictment against the former prime minister and her aides included murder, torture, and the use of inhumane tactics during the “July Uprising” of 2024. Human rights reports estimate that up to 1,400 people were killed between 15 July and 15 August 2024, when the Hasina administration unleashed a crackdown on pro-democracy students and activists.

The uprising, initially sparked by unemployment grievances and allegations of corruption, transformed into a nationwide movement against Hasina’s rule. The escalating violence forced the prime minister to flee Bangladesh on 4 August 2024, a day before her government collapsed.

Sheikh Hasina, now 78, has been living in exile in India since August 2024. Former minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal is also believed to be hiding there. The interim Bangladeshi government, led by economist Muhammad Yunus, has formally sought their extradition.

India has yet to issue an official response. Diplomatic observers note that any decision will have far-reaching implications for New Delhi–Dhaka relations, given India’s previous close ties with Hasina’s administration.

Authorities in Bangladesh imposed tight security measures nationwide ahead of the ruling. Dhaka Metropolitan Police issued shoot-at-sight orders against anyone engaging in violence, arson, or attacks on security personnel. The capital was largely deserted on the day of the verdict, with army units, Border Guard Bangladesh, and riot police deployed across strategic areas.

The dissolved Awami League had called for a two-day general strike prior to the judgment, while several human rights organisations expressed concern about potential unrest and reprisals.

Hasina’s conviction marks a dramatic turning point in Bangladesh’s political history. Once hailed as a champion of democracy, she now faces the ultimate judicial sentence for actions the court deemed “systematic and deliberate acts of extermination.”

The verdict is likely to intensify both domestic division and regional debate. The Yunus-led interim government may view it as a legal closure to a violent chapter, but critics argue that the trial’s credibility could face scrutiny given its political overtones and the volatile regional backdrop.

Agencies