A special tribunal in Dhaka has found former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina guilty of crimes against humanity in relation to a mass crackdown on a student-led uprising in July–August 2024.
The court convicted Hasina of ordering and inciting lethal force against protestors, including the use of drones and helicopters, resulting in an estimated 1,400 deaths. Former Home Minister Asad-uz-Zaman Khan Kamal was also sentenced to death, while former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun received a five-year prison term after turning state’s witness.
Prosecutors presented a phone recording in which Hasina allegedly directed a brutal crackdown on demonstrators. The prosecution claims she failed to prevent the mass killings and that her orders contributed directly to the violent repression.
Ahead of the verdict, Bangladesh’s interim government intensified security across Dhaka, deploying police and paramilitary forces around courts and key government buildings. The ruling has sparked widespread debate, with Hasina’s supporters condemning the trial as politically motivated, while opponents see it as a step toward justice.
The protests, initially led by students, escalated into a nationwide uprising. According to authorities, the crackdown resulted in the deaths of up to 1,400 individuals. Hasina, who has been in exile in India since August 2024, and her party, the Awami League, have vehemently denied the charges, asserting that the trial is politically driven.
The tribunal’s proceedings are based on Bangladesh’s International Crimes (Tribunals) Act of 1973. Prosecutors have announced plans to seize Hasina’s assets and seek an Interpol arrest warrant following the verdict.
A decision that spans 453 pages and is divided into six parts. A large number of security personnel were present outside the court.
Prosecutors reportedly sought the death penalty, accusing Hasina of being the “mastermind and principal architect” behind the violence.
Rejection of Allegations:
Hasina, who has strongly denied all allegations, fled to India in August 2024 amid growing turmoil at home.
Her supporters argue the trial is politically motivated, while the interim government insists that justice must be served.
As the verdict day unfolds, Bangladesh remains tense. Security forces are bracing for potential unrest, and the outcome of the tribunal could reshape the country’s political trajectory.
According to international media reports, the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh said in an audio message released to her supporters before the International Crimes Tribunal’s verdict that the allegations leveled against her are false, and she does not care about such decisions.
In the audio message, the 78-year-old Awami League leader accused the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus of trying to dismantle her party. She said that the constitution of Bangladesh considers the forcible removal of elected representatives a crime, and that Yunus has done exactly that.
She said that it is not so simple the Awami League emerged from the grassroots; it did not come from the pocket of any usurper.
She said that her supporters responded immediately to the call for protest and that the public has shown confidence in her.
She said that people will show this corrupt and terrorist Yunus and his aides how Bangladesh can be put back on the right path, and that the people themselves will deliver justice.
Rejecting allegations of human rights violations, Sheikh Hasina told her supporters that she had given protection to one million Rohingya refugees, yet she is now being accused of violating human rights. “But do not worry,” she said, “I am alive and will continue to work for the welfare of the people.”
The former Prime Minister of Bangladesh assured her supporters that court rulings cannot stop her.
She told party workers to let the court’s decision come. “I do not care. God gave me life and only He will take it away. But I will keep working for my country’s people. I lost my parents and siblings. And they burned my house.”
It may be recalled that Sheikh Hasina is accused of ordering a crackdown against the student movement in 2024, which allegedly resulted in large-scale deaths.
According to the United Nations, 1,400 people were killed during the Bangladesh protests.
Dhaka Police Chief Warns: Shoot Anyone Attempting Arson, Blasts:
Dhaka Metropolitan police chief Sheikh Mohammad Sazzat Ali has confirmed reports that he gave instructions to officers to use firearms if anyone attempts to burn vehicles or hurl crude bombs during possible demonstrations in the city.
“Yes, I have given such directives. If anyone sets a bus on fire or throws a cocktail [crude bomb] and attacks police, will they sit idle?,” Ali was quoted by The Daily Star newspaper as saying.
The order has been issued after at least 40 arson attacks and dozens of crude bomb explosions were reported nationwide over the past week, which resulted in at least two deaths.
Police in Bangladesh have been criticised by rights groups for excessive use of force against the protesters last year.
