Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal court has convicted and awarded death sentence to ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid in crimes against humanity’ case.
In 2010, the three-member International Crimes Tribunal sentenced her to death on two charges and life imprisonment on three charges. The verdict said that Sheikh Hasina Wajid authorized the use of deadly weapons, including drones and helicopters, on protesters, for which she was sentenced to death.
On this occasion, the prosecutor claimed that sxi protesters were directly shot and killed in Dhaka, while the court said in its verdict that the protesting students were dealt with force instead of talking. According to foreign media, the verdict against Hasina Wajid consists of 400 pages, and 80 eyewitnesses testified in this case. The verdict said that the former Home Minister and the former Police Chief were also involved in these crimes along with Hasina Wajid.
Sheikh Hasina, 78, is accused of masterminding and orchestrating the suppression of public protests against a controversial quota system in government jobs, in which nearly 1,400 people were killed. The 2024 coup ended Hasina’s 15-year rule. She has been in exile in India since losing power and has not been seen in public or online.
Ahead of the court verdict, ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid released an audio message to her supporters, in which she claimed that the interim government of Muhammad Younus wanted to prevent the Awami League from participating in the elections.
In his message, he accused the interim government led by Muhammad Younus of taking action against his party, the Awami League, and said that the Bangladesh constitution criminalizes the forcible removal of elected representatives, and Yunus did just that.
Earlier, Sheikh Hasina Wajid’s son and advisor Sajib Wajid had warned that if the ban on the Awami League was not lifted, the party’s supporters could disrupt the February 2026 national elections. Sajib Wajid said that the court would soon announce the verdict on television, and according to him, Hasina could be sentenced to death; however, Sheikh Hasina is safe in India and is being fully protected by India.
A UN report says nearly 1,400 people were killed and thousands injured in the protests from July 15 to August 5, 2024, mostly in firing by security forces, in the worst political violence in Bangladesh since the 1971 war.
The trial included five charges, including failure to prevent killings and human rights violations. Hasina’s co-accused are former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former Police Chief Chaudhry Abdullah Al-Mamnoon.
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