Former PM Sheikh Hasina Handed Death Sentence by ICT for Crimes Against Humanity in 2024 Uprising
Dhaka on High Alert as Tribunal Convicts Hasina and Former Home Minister in Absentia
DHAKA, BANGLADESH: The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh today convicted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of crimes against humanity and pronounced the death sentence, concluding a months-long, high-profile trial related to the violent suppression of the student-led uprising in July-August of last year.
The three-judge panel, headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, delivered the verdict amidst unprecedented security in Dhaka. The tribunal found Hasina guilty on multiple counts, including incitement, ordering killings, and failing to prevent atrocities during the crackdown that ended her 15-year rule.
The former Prime Minister was tried in absentia, having fled the country in the wake of the unrest last August. Also convicted and sentenced to death in absentia was former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal
The charges stem from the mass student-led agitation of 2024, during which prosecutors alleged that the then-ruling Awami League government used lethal force and military hardware, including helicopters and drones, against unarmed civilian protesters. A United Nations report has estimated that up to 1,400 people may have been killed during the violence.
A key figure in the trial was former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun. Al-Mamun, who remains in custody, pleaded guilty and turned state witness for the prosecution. He reportedly provided detailed testimony describing how alleged directives from top political and security officials were executed on the ground. The tribunal reportedly spared Al-Mamun the death penalty, sentencing him to five years in prison.
Security has been significantly stepped up across Dhaka and other key political areas, including Gopalganj, Madaripur, and Faridpur. Additional forces from the Border Guard Bangladesh, Rapid Action Battalion, and the army have been deployed around the tribunal premises and major intersections to preempt political gatherings or unrest following the verdict.
The ruling has intensified the political volatility in the country. Analysts note that the verdict carries significant political repercussions, arriving just months ahead of the scheduled national elections. Hasina’s Awami League party has condemned the verdict, with the former Prime Minister releasing a statement calling the tribunal a “rigged” and “politically motivated charade.”
The verdict marks the first time a former Bangladeshi premier has been handed the death penalty by the ICT, further escalating tensions in a country already grappling with political upheaval since Hasina’s ouster.
