Former Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina Wajid given death sentence by court

DHAKA: The long-awaited verdict against ousted prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina has been announced. Bangladesh court finds Sheikh Hasina guilty of crimes against humanity. The ousted premier has been sentenced to death in one case, while in another she has been awarded life-sentence by the tribunal. A three-member judicial panel, including Justice Md Ghulam Murtaza, delivered the verdict.

The verdict against Hasina Wajid consists of 450 pages. It details that Sheikh Hasina Wajid used excessive force on protesters as premier of Bangladesh, and also ordered the use of deadly weapons on protesters.

Large crowds had gathered outside the International Crimes Tribunal, where the ruling was issued. More than a hundred people had been waiting for the announcement outside the court premises, including lawyers, families of those killed during the protests, and members of the Bangladeshi media.

In today’s hearing, out of the three accused, only the former police inspector general appeared in court, BBC reported. IG Al-Mamun had admitted to involvement in the crime earlier in July and also gave a statement as a state witness.

Sheikh Hasina and former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal are still absconding. Both have been given death sentence by the tribunal.

Sheikh Hasina, 78, who is currently in India, has not returned to Bangladesh despite repeated summons from the court. She faces five charges, including failing to prevent murder, stemming from security operations that targeted participants in a student-led uprising in July–August 2024, which the United Nations reported killed up to 1,400 people.

Hasina has denied all charges, describing the trial as a “mockery of justice.” Co-accused include Bangladesh’s former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who remains at large, and former police chief Chaudhry Abdullah al-Mamun, who is in custody and has confessed to the offenses.