DHAKA, BANGLADESH — Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Dhaka has delivered a death sentence on former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, finding her guilty, in absentia, of crimes against humanity linked to a lethal 2024 crackdown on pro-democracy student protests that resulted in approximately 1,400 fatalities. The landmark judgment, issued on November 17, 2025, follows months of hearings in the domestic war crimes court and signifies a dramatic escalation in the political fallout from the former leader’s 15-year tenure and subsequent overthrow.
The ruling addresses the deaths and systemic abuse during a massive government response to demonstrations that initially focused on civil service quota reforms but quickly grew into a widespread anti-government movement. Prosecutors successfully argued that Hasina, who was ousted in July 2024 and subsequently fled to India, authorized the use of excessive and lethal force against demonstrators. Central to the evidence was an authenticated audio recording, presented during the proceedings, purportedly featuring Hasina approving the deployment of live weapons in July 2024.
Though Hasina presided over significant economic growth during her long term in office, her administration was widely criticized for increasingly suppressing political opposition through alleged politically motivated arrests, forced disappearances, and extra-judicial killings.
Fallout and Legal Challenges
Immediately following the verdict, security was heightened across Dhaka amid sporadic unrest, which included reports of small bombings and arson attacks on buses. Supporters who celebrated the decision gathered outside the tribunal, while bereaved families of those killed during the 2024 unrest reiterated their demand for severe justice.
In a statement released Monday, Hasina denounced the outcome as a “biased and politically driven” decision, asserting confidence in her government’s human rights record and challenging the court’s legitimacy. Her legal team has lodged an appeal with the United Nations, raising serious concerns regarding due process at the ICT. The team also called upon the current interim administration to seek an impartial review at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. However, local legal experts noted that because the defendants were tried in absentia, a conventional domestic appeal is procedurally unavailable.
Political Implications and International Scrutiny
The conviction is a profound development for Bangladesh’s political trajectory following Hasina’s overthrow. The interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, is preparing for parliamentary elections scheduled for February 2026. Prior to the conviction, the interim government had already banned Hasina’s political party, the Awami League, which maintains that its exclusion from the upcoming vote will result in a mass election boycott.
International monitoring groups have intensified their attention on the political transition. UN human rights investigators previously reported that the 1,400 deaths in 2024 could constitute crimes against humanity, citing documentation of point-blank shootings, deliberate maiming, and torture.
Analysts suggest the conviction severely marginalizes the Awami League unless the party definitively separates itself from Hasina and acknowledges the human rights abuses that occurred during her final year in power.
Hasina was tried alongside her former home minister and police chief. Bangladesh has formally requested her extradition from India, where she remains in exile, but New Delhi has yet to indicate any willingness to comply. Given the extradition challenges, the enforcement of the death sentence is considered improbable in the near term. While the verdict offers a measure of solace to victims’ families, observers caution that the ruling may further entrench Bangladesh’s deep political divisions, complicating efforts to establish a fully functional and stable political system.