Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan were sentenced to death Monday for their roles in the violent crackdown on a student-led uprising last year that left hundreds dead and ended Hasina’s 15-year tenure in office. The International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka handed down the sentences for crimes against humanity, citing the use of deadly force against protesters. Both Hasina and Khan had fled to India in 2024, and India has so far refused to extradite them, making the likelihood of execution highly improbable.
A third individual, a former police chief, received a five-year prison sentence after agreeing to testify against Hasina and pleading guilty. The tribunal’s ruling focused on events during July and August 2024, when a student-led uprising escalated into widespread unrest. Bangladesh’s interim government reported that more than 800 people were killed and around 14,000 injured, though the United Nations estimated in February that fatalities could have reached 1,400.
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Hasina Responds to Verdict
Sheikh Hasina rejected the charges, asserting that she and Khan “acted in good faith and were trying to minimize the loss of life.” In a statement released Monday, she said, “We lost control of the situation, but to characterize what happened as a premeditated assault on citizens is simply to misread the facts.” She added, “I mourn all of the deaths that occurred in July and August of last year, on both sides of the political divide. But neither I nor other political leaders ordered the killing of protesters.” At 78 years old, Hasina cannot appeal the verdict unless she is arrested or surrenders within 30 days.
Bangladesh continues to experience political instability following Hasina’s removal from office on August 5, 2024. Three days later, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus took control of an interim government and vowed to hold Hasina accountable. He also banned the activities of her Awami League party ahead of elections scheduled for February. The ruling was announced live by a three-member tribunal led by Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder, with parts of the courtroom erupting in cheers, which Mozumder instructed the audience to contain outside the courtroom. Families of those killed or injured waited for hours outside the tribunal.
Exile in India and International Reactions
Bangladesh’s Ministry of Home Affairs issued a statement urging India to extradite Hasina and Khan, a request New Delhi has yet to fulfill. India’s foreign ministry acknowledged the verdict without committing to sending the duo back, stating, “As a close neighbor, India remains committed to the best interests of people of Bangladesh, including in peace, democracy, inclusion and stability in that country. We will always engage constructively with all stakeholders to that end.” This refusal has created tensions between the two neighboring nations.
Yunus welcomed the ruling, calling it justice for those harmed in the uprising: “No one, regardless of power, is above the law.” He condemned the use of lethal force against students and children, noting it violated the legal and moral obligations of government. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Hasina’s rival and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, also supported the verdict. BNP General Secretary Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir wrote on Facebook that the ruling symbolized not just a judgment on Hasina but “a burial of all forms of dictatorship on this country’s soil.”
Violence and Political Fallout
In the days surrounding the verdict, nearly 50 arson attacks, primarily targeting vehicles, were reported nationwide, along with dozens of crude bomb explosions, resulting in two deaths. The Supreme Court requested military deployment around the tribunal, and paramilitary forces, border guards, and police were stationed across Dhaka and other regions. Despite the security presence, police used batons and stun grenades to disperse crowds as judges read the verdict, while protesters burned tires into the evening.
Hasina’s Awami League called for a nationwide shutdown to protest the ruling. Her son, Sajeeb Wazed, in the United States, criticized the verdict as “a joke and meaningless,” claiming the trials were legally flawed. Meanwhile, supporters of Hasina’s opponents gathered near the former home of her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s independence hero, which had been damaged during prior protests, and used excavators to complete its demolition.
The uprising itself began over student opposition to a government job quota system perceived to favor those connected to Hasina’s party. Security forces’ violent response resulted in hundreds of deaths, further inflaming demonstrations despite reductions in the quota system. Since Hasina’s ousting, the political climate under Yunus remains fragile, with limited signs of stability.
Sentences Mark a Historic Turning Point
The death sentences for Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Khan represent a dramatic moment in Bangladesh’s political history, highlighting the ongoing tensions between past and present leadership and the challenges of restoring stability after widespread unrest.
