Bangladesh's deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to death in absentia by a court in Dhaka for crimes against humanity over a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising last year. The three-judge bench of the international crimes tribunal convicted Hasina of incitement, ordering killings and failing to prevent atrocities during her government's response to anti-government protests.
Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder, reading the verdict, said the former leader had committed crimes against humanity by ordering the use of drones, helicopters and lethal weapons against civilians. Hasina, who has pleaded not guilty and called the proceedings a politically motivated charade, was not present in the defendant's box. The court also handed a death sentence to her former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan.
The UN human rights office called the sentencing an important moment for victims but expressed regret over the death penalty. Spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said the UN opposed capital punishment in all circumstances, while stressing the need for accountability in line with international standards.
Hasina fled to neighbouring India in August last year and has been living in exile there. India has ignored requests for her extradition. The trial took place amid heightened security in Dhaka, with authorities issuing a shoot-on-sight order after a series of crude bomb attacks in the capital. Family members of protesters killed during the uprising broke down in tears as the verdict was delivered.
The uprising, now known as the July revolution, began as a student movement and escalated into a nationwide revolt against Hasina's authoritarian rule. Her 15-year tenure was marked by allegations of corruption, torture and enforced disappearances. The UN estimates up to 1,400 people were killed in the crackdown. The interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has made the prosecution of Hasina a cornerstone of its mandate, with Mohammad Tajul Islam serving as chief prosecutor.
