Hasina Sentenced to Death in Absentia for Crimes Against Humanity Over Crackdown on Student Uprising

 

Bangladesh’s deposed prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, has been sentenced to death in absentia by a court in Dhaka after being found guilty of crimes against humanity linked to a deadly crackdown on last year’s student-led uprising.

A three-judge panel of the International Crimes Tribunal convicted Hasina of murder, extermination, torture, and other inhumane acts, concluding that she ordered security forces to violently suppress anti-government protests.

Ordered Drones 

Delivering the verdict, Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder said the court had established that the “accused prime minister committed crimes against humanity by her order to use drones, helicopters and lethal weapons” against demonstrators.

Hasina rejected all charges and claimed the tribunal was a “politically motivated charade.”

The months-long trial proceeded without her after she fled Bangladesh last August. She has since lived in India under protection, and New Delhi has refused requests to extradite her.

In court, families of protesters killed during the uprising wept as judges handed down death sentences for both Hasina and her former home minister, Asaduzzaman Khan, who was tried alongside her.

Hasina’s empty seat in the defendant’s box underscored the moment. In an audio message released shortly before the judgment, she remained defiant:

“Let them announce whatever verdict they want. It doesn’t matter to me. Allah gave me this life and only He can end it. I will still serve my people.”

Dhaka was tense in the hours leading to the verdict. Security forces—including police, army units, and paramilitaries—surrounded the tribunal, and police issued a “shoot-on-sight” order for anyone found throwing crude bombs or setting vehicles on fire. A small explosive detonated near the court on Monday morning, triggering panic and road closures.

The protest movement that ultimately toppled Hasina began as a student demonstration but quickly grew into a nationwide uprising, now widely referred to as the “July Revolution.” Many in Bangladesh viewed Hasina’s 15-year rule as increasingly authoritarian, marred by systemic corruption, enforced disappearances, and torture—claims documented by human rights groups and the UN.

During the unrest, Hasina oversaw a sweeping crackdown. Security forces reportedly used live ammunition on civilians, and the UN human rights office estimates that up to 1,400 people were killed, marking the worst political violence since Bangladesh’s 1971 independence war.

Prosecuting Hasina was a central promise of the interim government led by Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus, who was appointed by protest leaders after her fall. The government named Mohammad Tajul Islam as chief prosecutor to prepare the case heard by the tribunal.