Bangladesh plunged deeper into political unrest after a special tribunal sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death. The International Crimes Tribunal ruled that she committed crimes against humanity during last year’s student-led uprising. United Nations reports say government crackdowns during her final months in power killed up to 1,400 people. Hasina did not appear in court and remains in exile. Her fall ended 15 years of uninterrupted rule. Bangladesh now struggles with violent clashes as the country prepares for elections in February 2026.
The verdict places Hasina among a rare group of global leaders who faced the harshest punishment. Romania executed Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989 after a swift military trial. Iraq hanged Saddam Hussein in 2006 for the Dujail massacre. Pakistan executed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1979 after a murder conspiracy conviction. Its former military ruler, Pervez Musharraf, also received a death sentence in 2019, though he lived abroad.
History records similar outcomes. Equatorial Guinea shot Francisco Macias Nguema in 1979 after a brutal regime. Hungary hanged Ferenc Szalasi in 1946 for wartime crimes. France executed Louis XVI in 1793, and England beheaded Charles I in 1649. Italy executed Benito Mussolini in 1945 without trial. Japan hanged wartime leader Hideki Tojo in 1948.
