Bangladeshi tribunal hands former PM Sheikh Hasina death sentence in absentia
A Bangladeshi international crimes tribunal has sentenced former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, 78, to death in absentia, ruling she bore responsibility for crimes against humanity during a violent crackdown on student protesters last year. Judges said the August clashes were "widespread and systematic" and targeted civilian demonstrators, with prosecutors alleging around 1,400 deaths during the unrest.
The court's 453‑page judgment, read in a packed courtroom and broadcast live, found that Hasina ordered security forces to deploy drones, helicopters and lethal weapons to suppress the demonstrations. Justice Mohammad Ghulam Murtaza Majumdar said the evidence showed the attacks were directed against civilians and amounted to crimes against humanity through incitement, direct orders and failure to prevent the violence.
"For all these three counts, we have decided to inflict her with only one sentence: that is sentence of death," Justice Majumdar said, according to the tribunal's ruling.
Prosecutors presented phone records, audio and video clips and witness testimonies they say link Hasina directly to the orders to use lethal force. The tribunal also played transcripts of alleged phone conversations in which Hasina instructed officials to deploy lethal measures. The court issued arrest warrants for Hasina and former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan; both are believed to be in India and did not take part in the trial.
In an audio message released after the verdict, Hasina dismissed the proceedings as politically motivated. "The verdicts announced against me have been made by a rigged tribunal established and presided over by an unelected government with no democratic mandate," she said, adding: "Let them announce whatever verdict they want. It doesn't matter to me. Allah gave me this life, and only he can end it. I will still serve my people."
The prosecution cited the confession of former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah al‑Mamun, who pleaded guilty in July and said he carried out orders to use helicopters and other force against protesters. The state has also ordered the confiscation and auction of Hasina's properties, with proceeds to be distributed to victims of last year's uprising, should the sentence be enforced.
Hasina's legal team has challenged the proceedings internationally. Two UK lawyers, Steven Powles KC and Tatyana Eatwell of Doughty Street Chambers, filed an urgent appeal to UN special rapporteurs arguing that trying and convicting someone in absentia breaches fair‑trial standards and that any death sentence following such proceedings would violate the right to life under Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Tulip Siddiq, the Labour MP for Hampstead and Highgate and Hasina's niece, is separately the subject of an in‑absentia case in Bangladesh over alleged improper land allocations. Siddiq has denied the accusations, called the proceedings a "farce" and a "political vendetta," and has not attended the hearings; an arrest warrant for her was previously issued in April.
Security was tightened nationwide ahead of the verdict. Authorities reported a surge in violence in Dhaka, including multiple crude‑bomb blasts and attacks on buses. The Supreme Court directed the army to deploy troops to secure the tribunal, and police were ordered to act decisively against those setting vehicles alight or throwing explosives. Despite these measures, clashes between supporters and security forces broke out in parts of Dhaka following the announcement.
The ruling has deep political implications ahead of national elections scheduled for February. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party is widely seen as the frontrunner, and Hasina's Awami League has been restricted from political activity amid the post‑uprising legal and political turmoil.
What comes next
Because the convictions were rendered in absentia, their international and practical implications remain uncertain: enforcement would require extradition or voluntary return, both unlikely in the near term. Appeals and international legal challenges now appear set to continue as the country prepares for its upcoming election cycle.
