A court in Bangladesh on Monday convicted ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of crimes against humanity for ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising last year, sentencing her to death.
The ruling comes a few months ahead of parliamentary elections slated for February. Hasina’s Awami League party is already barred from contesting the polls. Ahead of the verdict, the Supreme Court requested the Bangladesh Army to deploy troops in Dhaka to bolster security around the International Crimes Tribunal—the country’s domestic war crimes court. Authorities had feared that the verdict could stoke fresh unrest, as the country has already witnessed at least 30 crude bomb explosions and arson of 26 vehicles nationwide over the past few days. There have been no casualties.
The verdict was delivered in Hasina’s absence due to her fleeing Bangladesh in August 2024. She has since been in exile in India. She has the right to appeal the verdict in the Supreme Court but her son has told Reuters that they would not do so until a democratically elected government—with the Awami League’s participation—takes office.
During the trial, prosecutors told the court they had uncovered evidence of Hasina’s direct command to use lethal force to suppress a student-led uprising in July and August 2024. According to officials estimates, up to 1,400 people may have been killed during the protests and thousands more injured, most due to gunfire from security forces.
In Hasina’s absence, a state-appointed defense counsel represented her, arguing the charges against her were baseless and pleading for her acquittal.