Bangladesh court sentences ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death

In a dramatic turn of events, Bangladesh’s war crimes tribunal on Monday handed a death sentence to ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, concluding a months-long trial that has gripped global attention.

Hasina, who has been living in exile since fleeing the country amid political turmoil, was tried in absentia. The court found her guilty of authorizing a violent crackdown on a student-led uprising last year — a move that, according to prosecutors, led to the deaths of hundreds of civilians.

The protests, which began peacefully, spiralled into a violent revolt following a harsh security crackdown.

Hasina escaped to India after her government was overthrown in August 2024. She has denied all allegations of wrongdoing and condemned the trial, and it remains unlikely that India, one of her closest allies, will extradite her.

The ruling by the International Crimes Tribunal, a Bangladeshi court, is significant as it delivers on a key pledge of the interim administration led by 85-year-old Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.

He was appointed to steer the country out of the turmoil of the “July Revolution” and toward a stable democracy with free and fair elections.