BANGLADESH, DHAKA – A special tribunal in Dhaka on Monday sentenced former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death for crimes against humanity linked to the 2024 student-led protests.
The court ruled that Hasina ordered security forces to use lethal force against demonstrators, resulting in mass casualties across several cities during weeks of unrest.
Prosecutors told the tribunal that up to 1,400 people died during the crackdown, relying on UN estimates that most victims were shot by security personnel.
Truth live news learned that Hasina was convicted in absentia because she has lived in exile in India since being forced from office in August 2024 following violent nationwide protests.
In a statement shared with the BBC after the verdict, Hasina described the judgement as “biased and politically motivated,” insisting the tribunal served partisan interests.
She argued that the interim government aimed to “nullify the Awami League as a political force” by securing a sentence she called a “farce” delivered by a “kangaroo court.”
Hasina said she was “not afraid to face [her] accusers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly,” and challenged authorities to take the case before the International Criminal Court.
Her state-appointed lawyer, Mohammad Amir Hossain, said he was “sad” about the outcome and noted he “cannot appeal because my clients are absent.”
The tribunal also convicted former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and ex-police chief Chowdhury Abdullah al-Mamun for allowing indiscriminate force and failing to prevent abuses.
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Only Mamun appeared in court for the verdict, having earlier pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors during the hearings.
Judges delivered a verdict running more than 450 pages and confirmed that Hasina’s sentence would become “effective from the day of arrest,” according to the attorney general.
Crowds inside and outside the Dhaka courtroom erupted in applause as the death sentence was read, prompting judges to call for decorum from those present.
Hundreds of protesters also gathered in the capital’s Shahbagh and Dhanmondi areas, prompting police to fire stun grenades while soldiers deployed to deter unrest.
Witnesses told the BBC that demonstrators attempted to march toward the former residence of Hasina’s father, which has been repeatedly targeted since her ouster.
Security forces tightened patrols across major cities amid fears of retaliation from Awami League supporters and supporters of the former prime minister.
The 2024 protests began after students condemned Bangladesh’s civil-service quota system, arguing it rewarded political loyalty instead of merit in a period of high youth unemployment.
For decades, 30% of government jobs were reserved for descendants of war veterans, a group perceived to benefit Awami League loyalists, according to BBC reporting.
Large crowds stormed Hasina’s official residence after she fled last year, accusing her administration of repression, corruption and weaponisation of state institutions.
The interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, has since reduced the quota for veterans’ descendants to 5% and moved to stabilise the economy with IMF support.
Analysts told the BBC that today’s ruling may define Bangladesh’s political trajectory for years, deepening questions about due process and the dangers of punitive justice.
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Human-rights groups say the central ethical challenge lies in balancing accountability for mass killings against ensuring that trials meet international standards of fairness.
Hasina has not admitted wrongdoing but acknowledged in an earlier email to the BBC that the situation “got out of control” during the protests.
She insisted, however, that she “never issued any order to fire on unarmed civilians,” rejecting allegations she personally directed the shootings.
Dhaka has formally requested India to extradite Hasina, but diplomatic analysts say New Delhi is unlikely to act soon due to longstanding political ties.
As reactions intensify, Bangladesh faces renewed scrutiny over whether justice can be served without further inflaming political divisions or undermining public trust.