Bangladesh ICT declares ‘Death Penalty’ for Deposed PM Sheikh Hasina for "Crimes Against Humanity"
Bangladesh ICT declares ‘Death Penalty’ for Deposed PM Sheikh Hasina for "Crimes Against Humanity"
Digital Desk: Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) has found ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina guilty. The ICT has convicted former PM Sheikh Hasina to death in a case involving suspected ‘crimes against humanity.’
The court convicted Hasina on three charges, capping a months-long trial in which she was found guilty of ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led rebellion last year that resulted in the fall of her Awami League government.
The three-member tribunal, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumder, also ruled against Hasina's two aides, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former Police Chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, on the same accusations.
The court ruled that the three accused conspired to commit atrocities in order to kill demonstrators around the country.
Hasina and Kamal have been proclaimed fugitives and tried in absentia, while Mamun was initially tried in person before becoming an approver.
The court found that the Hasina government neglected student demands and that the then-prime minister's insulting remarks, referring to students as 'Razakars,' incited outrage among them, notably female students. As a result, Sheikh Hasina reportedly ordered the "elimination of protesting students." The judges noted that prosecution witnesses corroborated the role of Awami League affiliates, including the Chhatra League and Yuva League, in the attacks on Dhaka university students.
Hasina, Kamal, and Mamun are facing five serious charges, including murder, attempted murder, and torture. Hasina is specifically accused of ordering the "extermination" of protesters.
This indictment is related to her alleged role in ordering a brutal crackdown on students during the "July Uprising," which resulted in her dismissal from government in August 2024.
According to a United Nations Human Rights Office assessment, over 1,400 people died between July 15 and August 15 as a result of her government's harsh security response.
Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam describes her as the "mastermind and principal architect" of the alleged atrocities, although her supporters claim that the charges are politically motivated.
Security measures have been heightened across the nation, with Commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali issuing shoot-at-sight orders for those involved in violent acts. The Awami League has called for a two-day stoppage, coinciding with increased military and police presence around the ICT-BD facility, leading to mostly empty streets in the capital amid fears of unrest.
