Sheikh Hasina, ousted as Bangladesh’s prime minister, has been found guilty of crimes against humanity over the violent crackdown on the student movement that led to the collapse of her government and forced her to flee to India last August.
Prosecutors sought the death penalty for this charge. The court is still in session and a verdict is expected soon.
A three-judge panel of the International Crimes Tribunal, Bangladesh’s domestic war crimes tribunal, delivered its verdict on Monday, holding Hasina responsible for instigating hundreds of extrajudicial killings by law enforcement.
Around 1,400 protesters are believed to have been killed and up to 25,000 injured during weeks of protests in 2024, a court heard.
Hasina was charged with five charges, mainly related to abetting the killing of protesters, ordering protesters to be hanged, and ordering the use of deadly weapons, drones and helicopters to quell the riots. She denies the charges.
Hasina did not appear in court in Dhaka as she remains in self-imposed exile. The trial was criticized last week by her lawyers, who filed an appeal with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, citing “grave concerns regarding the lack of fair trial rights and due process.”
The former leader ruled the South Asian country with an iron fist from 2009 until his ouster in 2024, but there are fears Monday’s ruling could trigger a wave of political turmoil ahead of national elections expected next February.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
