Breaking News: Sheikh Hasina Sentenced to Death by Bangladesh Tribunal

A Bangladesh special tribunal on Monday convicted ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of crimes against humanity and sentenced her to death, concluding a months-long trial that accused her of ordering a violent crackdown on a student-led uprising last year.

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) also handed death sentences to two of Hasina’s closest aides — former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun — after finding them guilty on the same charges.

Kamal was convicted in a separate ruling issued the same day.

The verdict comes at a politically volatile moment, just months before Bangladesh heads to parliamentary elections expected in early February. 

Hasina’s Awami League has already been barred from contesting, raising fears that Monday’s ruling may trigger fresh unrest.

The judgment was delivered under heavy security in Dhaka and in Hasina’s absence, as the former prime minister fled to India in August 2024 following mass protests and escalating political turmoil.

The ICT’s ruling can still be challenged in the Supreme Court. However, Hasina’s son and adviser, Sajeeb Wazed, told Reuters on the eve of the verdict that the family would consider an appeal only after a “democratically elected government” takes office — one in which the Awami League is allowed to participate.

Also Read: Bangladesh on Edge: Violence Erupts Ahead of Sheikh Hasina Verdict