DHAKA (Agencies) Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Monday handed down a death sentence in absentia to former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in a high-profile crimes against humanity case.
According to media reports, the tribunal found Hasina guilty of ordering a violent crackdown on student-led protests during last year’s uprising. The charges against her include murder, attempted murder, torture, and allegedly directing the use of deadly weapons against demonstrators.
In a statement issued from India, where she fled following the 2024 unrest, Hasina rejected the verdict, calling it “biased and politically motivated.” She described the tribunal as “rigged” and presided over by an “unelected government with no democratic mandate,” adding that the outcome had been a “foregone conclusion.”
United Nations estimates indicate that up to 1,400 people were killed in the crackdown, most by gunfire from security forces. The protests subsided after Hasina left the country.
Other senior officials also face charges in the case, including former Interior Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and ex-police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun. Al-Mamun was the only accused present in court during the proceedings.
Hasina, who now resides in India, remains a polarizing figure in Bangladesh’s political landscape. Her Awami League party, which ruled the country for 15 years before the uprising, has been barred from participating in upcoming elections scheduled for 2026.