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Bangladesh Tribunal Sentences Ex–Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Death for Crimes Against Humanity

The decision throws Bangladesh's election preparations into uncertainty.

Overview

  • A three‑judge International Crimes Tribunal convicted Hasina over the 2024 crackdown on student protests and imposed the death penalty in a verdict delivered in absentia.
  • Former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan was also sentenced to death, while ex–police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al‑Mamun received five years after turning state witness.
  • Prosecutors presented five counts alleging orders, incitement and failures to prevent mass killings, with the court citing a UN report that up to 1,400 people were killed.
  • Security forces tightened controls across Dhaka as arson and crude‑bomb attacks were reported, with police authorizing shoot‑on‑sight responses to vehicle torchings and bombings.
  • Hasina, residing in India, rejected the judgment as politically motivated; under tribunal rules she can appeal only if she surrenders or is arrested, while the Awami League has called shutdowns and signaled it could resist elections if its ban stands.