The ex-prime minister was convicted over a brutal crackdown on last year’s student-led uprising, as Bangladesh enters one of the most turbulent periods in its modern history.
DHAKA, Bangladesh — November 18, 2025.
Bangladesh’s deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to death in absentia by the country’s International Crimes Tribunal, which found her guilty of crimes against humanity tied to a violent crackdown on last year’s nationwide anti-government uprising.
The three-judge panel convicted Hasina on charges including incitement, issuing kill orders, and failing to prevent mass atrocities carried out by security forces during the July–August student-led revolt that ultimately toppled her government.
Reading the verdict, Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder said Hasina had “ordered the use of drones, helicopters and lethal weapons” against civilians. The UN human-rights office called the verdict “an important moment for victims,” while reiterating its opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances.
Hasina — who fled to India last year and has lived in exile under government protection — rejected the charges as a “politically motivated charade”, accusing the interim administration of staging a trial “without democratic legitimacy.”
Her co-accused, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, also received a death sentence. Former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah al-Mamun, who turned state witness and pleaded guilty, was spared the death penalty but still faces significant prison time.
Families of victims openly wept in court as the ruling was read.
“We buried a boy, not an enemy of the state,” said Golam Rahman, whose son was shot dead during the uprising. “Nothing will bring him back — but the truth had to be said in court.”
A NATION ON EDGE
Dhaka was already on high alert ahead of the ruling. Security forces sealed off areas around the tribunal, following days of escalating political violence, including dozens of crude bombs detonated across the capital. Police issued “shoot-on-sight” orders for anyone attacking vehicles or launching explosives.
The uprising — now referred to as the “July Revolution” — began as a student protest and escalated into the largest anti-government movement since Bangladesh’s independence in 1971. The UN estimates that up to 1,400 people were killed as Hasina’s government deployed armed police, military units, and elite forces in a sweeping crackdown.
Human-rights groups have documented years of allegations under Hasina’s rule, including corruption, torture, enforced disappearances, and politically motivated prosecutions.
WHAT COMES NEXT
Bangladesh is preparing for its first national election since Hasina’s fall, scheduled for early February. Her party, the Awami League, has been banned from participating, and most party leaders are either imprisoned or in exile.
Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed, told Reuters the former leader remains “safe” in India — but warned she will not remain silent.
“She’s upset, angry, outraged,” he said. “We are determined to fight back by whatever means necessary.”
The interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has defended the tribunal’s transparency, noting that much of the trial was broadcast live. Critics, including Human Rights Watch, argue that despite reforms, the tribunal still falls short of fair-trial standards, especially given its power to issue the death penalty.
