Historic Verdict Delivered in Absentia
Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death on Monday for crimes against humanity. The charges relate to her government’s violent crackdown on student-led protests last year.The tribunal tried the 78-year-old fugitive politician in absentia. The tribunal called her the ‘mastermind and principal architect’ behind the crackdown on mass demonstrations that killed about 1,400 people.
A panel of three judges delivered their verdict at the tribunal, Bangladesh’s domestic war crimes court. The courtroom erupted in applause as the sentence was announced. Hasina received a life sentence for crimes against humanity. She was also given the death penalty for ordering killings during the uprising.
Deadly Crackdown on Student Protests
Peaceful student demonstrations over civil service job quotas in July 2024 quickly grew into a nationwide movement demanding Hasina’s resignation. The turning point came when the government cracked down on protesters. The UN human rights office reported that the crackdown may have killed up to 1,400 people and injured around 25,000.
Hasina faced five charges primarily related to inciting the murder of protestors, ordering protestors be hanged, and ordering the use of lethal weapons, drones and helicopters to suppress the unrest. Prosecutors presented evidence during the trial showing her direct command to use lethal force against the student-led uprising between July and August 2024.
The violence marked the worst bloodshed in Bangladesh since its 1971 war of independence, with Bangladesh’s ousted PM sentenced to death following the tribunal’s comprehensive investigation into the deadly crackdown.
Political Crisis and Son’s Warning
The former leader ruled the South Asian nation with an iron fist from 2009 until her ouster in 2024. Experts fear that Monday’s verdict will spark a wave of political chaos ahead of national elections expected in February next year
Hasina’s son told Reuters that supporters of her party would block next year’s elections if a ban on her party was not lifted, warning that protests could become violent. “We will not allow elections without the Awami League to go ahead. Our protests are going to get stronger and stronger, and we will do whatever it takes.”
Her son and adviser, Sajeeb Wazed, stated they would not appeal the verdict unless a democratically elected government took office with the Awami League’s participation, highlighting the deepening political divisions in the country.
Defense Rejects Tribunal’s Legitimacy
Hasina, who defied court orders to return from India to attend the trial, was assigned a state-appointed lawyer but refused to recognize the court’s authority. She rejected all charges against her and dismissed the tribunal as a “jurisprudential joke.”
Following the verdict, Hasina issued an email statement calling the ruling the product of a “rigged tribunal” established by an unelected government with no democratic mandate. She described the judges as “biased and politically motivated,” asserting that the guilty verdict was “a foregone conclusion.”
Hasina’s Exile in India
Since August last year, Hasina has been living in self-imposed exile in New Delhi, India’s capital. Student protesters had forced her and her Awami League political party out of power. This month, Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry summoned India’s envoy to Dhaka. They demanded that New Delhi prevent the ‘notorious fugitive’ from speaking to journalists or being given a platform.
The interim government has formally requested India to extradite Hasina, but New Delhi has yet to respond to the request. India’s silence on the extradition issue has added diplomatic tension to an already complex regional situation.
Legacy of Authoritarianism
Hasina’s political journey is a story of tragedy, exile and power, inextricably linked to the history of her home country. Under her stewardship, Bangladesh entered a period of significant economic development, although critics also accused her government of corruption, democratic backsliding, authoritarianism, and human rights abuses.
After a 1975 military coup, assassins killed her father, mother, and three brothers, and forced Hasina and her sister into exile She returned to Bangladesh in 1981 to lead her father’s Awami League, first becoming Prime Minister in 1996 and later returning to power in 2008.
Critics expressed concerns over increased political violence, voter intimidation, and harassment of media and opposition figures during her rule. Rights groups documented the government’s use of cyber security laws to crack down on freedom of expression, arresting journalists, artists and activists, with reported cases of arbitrary detention and torture.
Tense Atmosphere and Security Concerns
Bangladesh has been tense ahead of the verdict, with at least 30 crude bomb explosions and 26 vehicles torched across the country over the past few days. Security forces remained on high alert before Monday’s verdict, with checkpoints established across Dhaka and nearly half the city’s 34,000 police officers deployed.
This month, attackers hurled petrol bombs at buildings linked to interim leader Muhammad Yunus’s government and at several buses, raising fears of escalating violence as the country moves toward elections.
Appeal Options and Future Implications
Hasina’s legal team can appeal the verdict in Bangladesh’s Supreme Court, but they have stated that they will not file an appeal unless the authorities allow the Awami League to take part in a democratically elected government. This stance effectively ties the legal proceedings to the broader political crisis facing Bangladesh.
The election authorities barred the Awami League from contesting the upcoming parliamentary elections. Hasina warned that this decision would deepen the political crisis in the country of more than 175 million people. Her supporters argue that political rivals fabricated the charges to remove her from Bangladesh’s political landscape entirely.