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Bangladesh Tribunal Sentences Ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Death in Absentia

The ruling over the 2024 crackdown deepens a fraught pre-election climate in a country Hasina now watches from exile in India.

Overview

  • A Dhaka special tribunal found her guilty of crimes against humanity for ordering a deadly response to student-led protests.
  • Former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan also received a death sentence, while a former police chief who turned state witness got five years.
  • Hasina called the verdict politically motivated and refused to return for trial after fleeing to India in August 2024.
  • Authorities staged a live broadcast of the decision under heavy security, and the Awami League remains barred from elections expected in early 2026.
  • Dhaka formally asked New Delhi to extradite Hasina after the verdict as the UN rights office hailed accountability but criticized the use of the death penalty.