DHAKA (MNN}; A Bangladesh court on Monday sentenced ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death, concluding a months-long trial that found her guilty of ordering a deadly crackdown on last year’s student-led uprising. The decision comes just weeks before parliamentary elections expected in early February, heightening concerns of renewed political turmoil.
Hasina’s Awami League has already been barred from contesting the upcoming polls, and Monday’s ruling is widely expected to fuel further unrest. The verdict was issued by the International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka under heavy security, with Hasina absent from the proceedings after fleeing to India in August 2024.
The 78-year-old former prime minister refused to return for the trial, which centered on allegations that she personally ordered the use of lethal force against protesters during the uprising that ultimately removed her from power. In a statement released from hiding in India, she rejected the judgment as biased and politically driven, accusing the tribunal of operating under an unelected and illegitimate government.
The ruling is subject to appeal in the Supreme Court. However, Hasina’s son and adviser Sajeeb Wazed told Reuters that no appeal would be filed unless a democratically elected government — in which the Awami League can participate — is sworn in.
Following the verdict, Dhaka urged New Delhi to extradite Hasina and former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, saying India is obligated under a mutual extradition treaty.
Prosecutors during the trial claimed they had uncovered proof that Hasina directly ordered security forces to use deadly force against student protesters in July and August 2024. A UN report estimated that up to 1,400 people were killed and thousands injured — most by gunfire — marking the worst violence Bangladesh has witnessed since the 1971 independence war.
Hasina was represented by a state-appointed lawyer who argued the charges were baseless and appealed for her acquittal. Ahead of the ruling, Hasina dismissed the allegations and said the verdict had been “pre-decided.” The country has remained tense, with at least 30 crude bombs exploding and over two dozen vehicles torched in recent days, though no casualties have been reported.
