Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal for alleged crimes against humanity during last year’s student-led movement that toppled her Awami League government. The verdict was delivered in absentia, as Hasina has been living in exile since her ouster.
Ahead of the ruling, the Muhammad Yunus–led interim government deployed heavy security across Dhaka and several major cities amid sporadic violence and crude bomb attacks linked to tensions surrounding the tribunal’s decision.
Reacting to the verdict, Hasina issued a strong statement condemning the trial as “rigged” and orchestrated by an “unelected government with no democratic mandate.” She accused the tribunal of acting with political bias and claimed that the ruling reflects the intent of “extremist figures” within the interim administration to permanently eliminate the Awami League as a political force.
Hasina maintained that the charges were fabricated and aimed at removing Bangladesh’s “last elected prime minister” from the political landscape.
