Bangladesh’s war crimes tribunal has sentenced former PM Sheikh Hasina to death in a 453-page judgment after finding her guilty of crimes against humanity. Hasina, reacting from India, called the verdict “rigged” and denied all allegations.
Dhaka: Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Monday delivered a major and controversial judgment, running 453 pages and read aloud for more than an hour, in which former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to death for alleged crimes against humanity.
The judgment came after months of trial, where the tribunal held her guilty on three charges, including accusations that she had directed a violent nationwide crackdown on a student-led movement last year that eventually forced the fall of her Awami League government.
The tribunal, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumder, also passed its ruling against two senior figures close to Hasina — former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun.
According to the court, all three had worked together to carry out serious acts of violence aimed at killing protesters across the country.
Hasina and Kamal were declared fugitives and were tried in their absence, while Mamun initially faced the trial in person but later became an approver in the case.
Bangladesh Television (BTV) broadcast the verdict live from Tribunal-1. Reports say the formal charge sheet was extremely lengthy, running to 8,747 pages and containing evidence, seized material, references, and a long list of victims.
Live visuals showed people inside the courtroom cheering and applauding as soon as the death sentence against Hasina was announced.
Before the judgment was delivered, Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed, had spoken to Reuters and claimed that the verdict was already decided.
He said,
“They’re televising it. They’re going to convict her, and they’ll probably sentence her to death.”
He also spoke about his mother’s safety, saying,
“My mother is safe in India. India is giving her full security.”
Shortly after the verdict, Sheikh Hasina released a strong statement from New Delhi. She criticised the entire process and said that the judgment clearly showed
“the brazen and murderous intent of extremist figures in an unelected government”.
She denied all the allegations and said that she and her Awami League party were never given a fair chance to defend themselves. Hasina further accused the tribunal of bias and said its members had connections or sympathies with the present administration.
According to her,
“I was given no fair chance to defend myself in court, nor even to have lawyers of my own choice represent me in absentia. Despite its name, there is nothing ‘international’ about the ICT… Nor is it impartial.”
Hasina also listed what she described as three undisputable facts. She said senior judges or advocates who had earlier shown sympathy to her party were either removed or pressured into silence.
She said the ICT had only prosecuted members of the Awami League and had not taken action against people from other political groups who were responsible for violence against religious minorities and others.
She added that
“Bangladeshis won’t be fooled”,
and that,
“Millions of Bangladeshis toiling under the chaotic, violent, and socially-regressive administration of Dr Mohammad Yunus … will not be fooled…”
According to her, the public could clearly see that the trials held by the ICT were never meant to provide real justice.
She said,
“They can see the trials conducted by this so-called ICT were never intended to achieve justice…”
She claimed the actual aim was to blame the Awami League and avoid taking action against others, saying the process was only meant to divert attention from the failures of the interim administration led by Nobel laureate Dr Yunus.
She further added that
“All of this is established fact and verified by international media, NGOs, and non-partisan bodies such as the IMF. I wish to add… not a single citizen of Bangladesh has cast a vote for him (Yunus)…”
Hasina insisted she was not afraid to face the charges before a proper and fair court. She said she was ready to defend herself in an international forum, explaining,
“That is why, I have repeatedly challenged the interim government to bring these charges before the International Criminal Court in The Hague.”
The ICT’s judgment finally found Hasina, Kamal, and Mamun guilty of conspiring to use state power to crush the student-led uprising last year. The tribunal held that they had intentionally planned violent acts with the aim of killing protesters.
Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, however, was pardoned after he apologised to the tribunal and to the people of Bangladesh. Hasina and Kamal remained fugitives and were therefore tried and sentenced in absentia.
The ruling has triggered intense debate within Bangladesh and internationally, especially concerning the fairness of the proceedings, the political environment under which the trial took place, and the future of Bangladesh’s legal and democratic systems.
The situation continues to draw global attention as Hasina remains in India under security protection and has called for the matter to be brought before the International Criminal Court.
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