A war crimes court in Dhaka has sentenced former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, aged 78, to death for ordering the use of lethal force during the 2024 student-led protests.
The judgment was issued on Monday, 17 November 2025, by the International Crimes Tribunal, which conducted the trial in her absence after she fled to India in August 2024.
The Tribunal ruled that Hasina was the “mastermind and principal architect” of the security crackdown carried out between 15 July and 5 August 2024, when a United Nations report estimated that up to 1,400 people were killed and thousands injured.
The court also imposed a life sentence for crimes against humanity and ordered the confiscation of her property.
Former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan received a death sentence on related charges, while former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun was given five years in prison after pleading guilty and testifying for the state.
Hasina was represented by a state-appointed lawyer, who argued that the charges were not supported by evidence.
Before the verdict, Hasina told Reuters in an email interview that she viewed the proceedings as “politically motivated” and described the Tribunal as “kangaroo courts” run by an unelected government. She also said a guilty verdict was “a foregone conclusion.”
Tensions had risen across Bangladesh in the days before the judgment, with authorities reporting 30 crude bomb explosions and at least 26 vehicles set on fire. No casualties were recorded.
Following the ruling, Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement urging India to “immediately hand over” both Hasina and Khan.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs responded that it had “noted” the verdict and remained “committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh,” but did not comment on extradition.
Hasina’s state-appointed lawyer, Amir Hossain, said he cannot appeal the decision unless she returns or is detained.
He told local media, “I do not have the opportunity to file an appeal in this case, not until my clients surrender or are arrested by some other means. Until then, there is no scope for filing an appeal.” Hossain added that he was “deeply pained” by the judgment.
The ruling comes ahead of national elections expected in early February 2026, from which Hasina’s party, the Awami League, has been barred.
