Overview
- Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal found Hasina the “mastermind” of the 2024 protest crackdown, convicting her of incitement, ordering killings and failing to prevent atrocities.
- Asaduzzaman Khan, the former home minister, also received a death sentence in absentia, while former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al‑Mamun turned state witness and got five years.
- Dhaka formally requested Hasina’s extradition from India; India said it has noted the verdict and will engage constructively, with legal experts citing treaty provisions that allow refusals for political offenses.
- Hasina, who fled to India on 5 August 2024, can only appeal if she surrenders or is arrested within 30 days of the sentence, according to Bangladeshi law.
- Rights groups questioned the speed and in‑absentia nature of the trial and opposed the death penalty, the UN cited evidence of coordinated state violence with up to 1,400 killed, and China called the case an internal affair of Bangladesh.