In a landmark ruling on Monday, a special court in Bangladesh sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death in absentia, finding her guilty of crimes against humanity in connection with a brutal crackdown on student protesters last year. The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), made up of three judges, held that Hasina personally ordered the use of drones, helicopters, and lethal force against students during the 2024 protests in Dhaka.
The judgment focused on three charges: incitement of violence, ordering the killings, and failing to stop or punish the forces responsible for the deaths. During the verdict reading, Judge Golam Mortuza Mozumder stated, “We have decided to inflict her with only one sentence — that is, sentence of death.”
According to the court, there was compelling evidence that Hasina had given orders to use drones, helicopters, and other deadly weapons to suppress the protesters. The tribunal said that under her direction, security forces launched targeted operations in Dhaka, including in Chankarpul and Ashulia, where protester deaths were reported.
Beyond the military-style response, prosecutors accused Hasina of demonizing the student movement. According to court documents, Hasina referred to the demonstrators as “Razakars” — a slur linked to collaborators in Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence — in conversations with university leaders. The judges concluded that this rhetoric helped mobilize a violent state response.
In addition to her own conviction, the tribunal also sentenced two of Hasina’s former top aides: ex–Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal received a death sentence, while ex–Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun was jailed for five years after cooperating with the court.
Hasina, who fled to India after losing power in August 2024, strongly rejected the verdict. She denounced the tribunal as “rigged” and politically motivated, asserting that it was devised by an “unelected government” determined to destroy her Awami League party. In a statement, she claimed she was denied a fair chance to defend herself and said she was ready to face her accusers under a “proper tribunal” that would allow evidence to be tested openly.
Her defense lawyers have offered a starkly different interpretation of the drone and helicopter operations. They argue that their purpose was strictly to monitor large gatherings and maintain public order, not to carry out lethal attacks.
The court reached its verdict amid heightened security across Dhaka. Paramilitary forces and police were deployed in large numbers around the ICT premises, as well as in other sensitive parts of the city, reflecting the volatile nature of the political fallout following Hasina’s overthrow.
As Bangladesh moves toward parliamentary elections in February 2026, the ruling is likely to deepen political divisions. Hasina’s party, once dominant, has already called for a nationwide shutdown in protest, while the interim government argues that the verdict is part of a broader reckoning for state violence.
