Bangladesh | Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Gets Death Penalty for 'crimes against humanity'

Sheikh Hasina, 78, was sentenced to death for 'crimes against humanity' committed during last year's anti-government agitation that led to the fall of her Awami League government.

As Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal announced a death penalty for former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the courtroom erupted into loud applause. Many people were seen clapping, smiling, and cheering inside the court, while some made a praying gesture.

A few people were also seen crying.

The applause lasted for a few seconds before the judges requested those present inside to maintain court decorum.

Hasina, 78, was sentenced to death for 'crimes against humanity' committed during last year's anti-government agitation that led to the fall of her Awami League government. The court found Hasina guilty on three counts - incitement, order to kill, and inaction to prevent the atrocities.

"We have decided to inflict her with only one sentence - that is, the sentence of death," Judge Golam Mortuza Mozumder said.

The three-member tribunal, headed by Mozumder, also pronounced the judgment against the 78-year-old leader's aides - ex-home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun - over the same charges.

Hasina and Kamal have been declared fugitives and tried in absentia, while Mamun initially faced trial in person before turning approver.

Under the ICT-BD law, Hasina cannot appeal the verdict unless she returns or is arrested within 30 days.

According to the United Nations, up to 1,400 people were killed in crackdowns as Hasina tried to cling to power.

The former Bangladesh PM fled to India on a self-imposed exile on August 5, 2024, as tens of thousands of violent protesters marched towards her residence in Dhaka and ousted her, ending her 15-year-long tenure. She has since then lived in a secret safe house in Delhi. She had defied the tribunal's orders to face trial for ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising.

Hasina was tried in absentia and has been living in exile in India since being forced from power. The verdict will put India under pressure to extradite Hasina, but it is unlikely to do so.

Hasina's First reaction

Ex-Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina responded fiercely after being sentenced to death, in absentia, by that country's International Crimes Tribunal for "crimes against humanity". The verdict revealed "the brazen and murderous intent of extremist figures in an unelected government", she said.

Hasina also denied all charges and criticised the court for not giving her Awami League Party and herself a "fair chance to defend themselves". She also accused the tribunal and its members of bias, pointing out its judges and lawyers had "publicly expressed sympathy for the current administration".

"For the record, I wholly deny the accusations that have been made against me in the ICT. I mourn all of the deaths that occurred in July and August of last year, on both sides of the political divide. But neither I nor other political leaders ordered the killing of protesters," Sheikh Hasina said.

"... I was given no fair chance to defend myself in court, nor even to have lawyers of my own choice represent me in absentia. Despite its name, there is nothing 'international' about the ICT... Nor is it impartial," she said in a statement issued minutes after the verdict, tearing into "rigged" proceedings.

Background

Sheikh Hasina served as Bangladesh's prime minister from 1996–2001 and 2009–2024, driving economic growth, infrastructure, and women's empowerment, but faced accusations of authoritarianism, including election rigging, media curbs, and human rights violations.

In August 2024, student protests over job quotas sparked a nationwide uprising, forcing her flight to exile in India.

On November 17, 2025, Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal sentenced the 78-year-old Hasina to death in absentia for crimes against humanity in the 2024 protest crackdown, which killed at least 1,400—mostly via security forces' mass shootings and disappearances from July 15–August 15.

The post-ouster trial, with over 100 witnesses, also condemned former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death. Supporters decry it as political revenge; the interim government hails it as justice. The ruling has spiked tensions, boosting security amid unrest fears.

Source: ndtv, Staff, November 17, 2025

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