Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal has sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death after finding her guilty of crimes against humanity linked to last year’s deadly crackdown on student-led protests.
Hasina, 78, was tried in absentia and declared the “mastermind and principal architect” of the violent suppression in which an estimated 1,400 people were killed. The tribunal said her government’s actions amounted to systematic targeting of civilians during the 2024 mass demonstrations that eventually brought down her 15-year rule.
The former leader has been living in exile in India since losing power and has not been seen publicly or online since then.
Her now-banned Awami League party condemned the ruling, dismissing the tribunal as a “kangaroo court” and calling on supporters to take to the streets raising fresh fears of unrest across Bangladesh.
