Bangladesh ICT sentences ousted former PM Sheikh Hasina to death for crime against humanity

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Monday, November 17 sentenced ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death after finding her guilty of crimes against humanity linked to the violent crackdown on the July–August 2024 protests. The verdict has triggered nationwide tensions, prompting heavy deployment of the army, police, and paramilitary forces, effectively transforming Dhaka into a high-security fortress.

The tribunal held Hasina responsible on three major counts, preventing justice, ordering killings, and failing to intervene to stop punitive violence against demonstrators. The proceedings were broadcast live as a three-member bench led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder read sections from the extensive 453-page judgment, spread across six segments.

Former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun were also named in the case. While Kamal was convicted alongside Hasina, the tribunal spared Al-Mamun the death penalty after he turned state witness for the prosecution.

Citing multiple investigative reports, the judges stated that there was clear evidence indicating that Hasina directly authorised the use of helicopters and lethal weapons against protesters in Dhaka. The court also noted allegations of the government denying medical assistance to injured demonstrators, admitting victims under false names, concealing bullet wounds, and pressuring medical professionals—including threatening a doctor to alter the post-mortem report of Abu Sayed.

The tribunal’s verdict marks the first time a former Bangladeshi premier has been handed the death penalty by the ICT, intensifying political uncertainty in the country.