Dhaka (Somalia Today) — A special court in Bangladesh has ordered that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina be executed. The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) ruled on Monday that she should face the death penalty for crimes against humanity committed during a mass student uprising last year.
The verdict marks a historic and violent turn in Bangladesh’s politics. Hasina, who ruled with an iron fist for 15 years, fled to India on August 5, 2024. She was not in the courtroom to hear the judge order her execution.
The three-judge panel, led by Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder, delivered the judgment in a packed courtroom in Dhaka. The tribunal found Hasina guilty of ordering a “systematic” and deadly crackdown on protesters in July and August 2024.
The court also handed down a death sentence to Asaduzzaman Khan, the former home minister. Judges found that Khan helped direct the police and paramilitary forces to use lethal force against unarmed students. Like Hasina, he is currently in hiding.
However, a third top official received a lighter punishment. Former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun was sentenced to five years in prison.
He avoided the death penalty because he agreed to testify as a state witness. His evidence against Hasina was key to the prosecution’s case.
Cheers and tears in Dhaka
The atmosphere inside and outside the court was emotional. When Justice Mozumder announced the death penalty, many people in the gallery cheered. The judge had to pause the session and call for silence.
Outside, hundreds of families gathered. They were the parents and siblings of students killed during the 2024 protests. Many wept openly when they heard the news.
“We have waited a year for this moment,” said one father outside the tribunal. “Justice has finally started.”
Security in the capital, Dhaka, was tight. The interim government deployed paramilitary border guards and extra police across the city. Authorities feared violence from Hasina’s remaining supporters.
The charges stem from the violent response to student-led protests that swept across Bangladesh last year. The movement began as a protest against job quotas but quickly turned into a revolution against Hasina’s authoritarian rule.
The government responded with bullets. The country’s current health adviser said that more than 800 people died during the unrest. However, a United Nations report released in February estimates that the death toll could be as high as 1,400.
This violence, now known as the “July Massacre,” was the worst bloodshed in Bangladesh since its war of independence in 1971.
“Biased and politically motivated”
Hasina rejected the ruling immediately. In a statement sent to reporters, she called the tribunal “biased and politically motivated.” She argued that she and her ministers acted in “good faith” to save lives and stop anarchy.
Her son, Sajeeb Wazed, spoke to the press from the United States. He called the trial a “joke.”
“My mother is safe in India,” Wazed said. “The trials were so legally flawed they won’t survive any challenge once the rule of law returns to Bangladesh.”
There is a deep irony in this verdict. Sheikh Hasina originally created this same International Crimes Tribunal in 2010. She used it to try leaders accused of war crimes during the 1971 war. Now, her opponents are using the same court to sentence her to death.
The verdict has created a difficult diplomatic situation. Hasina lives in exile in India, and the Indian government has refused to send her back.
Bangladesh has an extradition treaty with India. This agreement typically requires both countries to extradite wanted criminals. However, India has ignored all requests from Dhaka to return the former Prime Minister.
Political analysts say it is highly unlikely that India will send her back to face execution.
Violence and upcoming elections
Despite the celebrations in court, the streets remain dangerous. Tensions have grown in recent days. Authorities reported nearly 50 arson attacks and dozens of crude bomb explosions over the past week.
Hasina’s Awami League party called for a nationwide “shutdown” to protest the trial. In response, opponents of Hasina gathered at her family’s old home, which is now a museum. They brought excavators to demolish the building, which led to clashes with the police.
Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate who leads the interim government, faces a difficult challenge. He has promised to hold new elections in February 2026. However, he has banned Hasina’s party from participating in the election.
With Hasina’s supporters threatening to boycott or disrupt the vote, the path to democracy remains fragile.
