Bangladesh's deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to death by an international crimes tribunal in Dhaka for her alleged role in crimes against humanity during a deadly crackdown on student-led protests last year. A three-judge bench of the tribunal convicted Hasina, who had pleaded not guilty to the charges, of incitement, orders to kill, and inaction to prevent atrocities.
Prosecutors claimed that Hasina was "the mastermind, conductor, and superior commander" of the violence, citing audio recordings of her calls linking instructions from her office to the deadly street operations. The tribunal also cited evidence of police firing live ammunition at civilians, resulting in an estimated 1,400 deaths during the uprising.
The verdict has brought relief and catharsis for families of those killed in the protests. Golam Rahman, whose son was among the victims, expressed his desire for Hasina to be executed as an example to future rulers. "We, the families of martyrs in the uprising, want to see her hanged," he said.
The international community has condemned the use of the death penalty in this case. The UN human rights office stated that while the verdict was "an important moment for victims," it regretted the imposition of the death penalty and opposed it in all circumstances.
Hasina has been living in exile in India since fleeing Bangladesh last year, and her absence from the trial has been notable. Her government rejected criticism of the tribunal's functioning, saying it operated transparently and allowed observers to document its work.
The verdict comes as Bangladesh prepares for its first election since Hasina's ouster, with her Awami League party banned from participating. The party's leaders are largely in jail or hiding abroad, but they have vowed to cause mass unrest in response to the ruling.
Prosecutors claimed that Hasina was "the mastermind, conductor, and superior commander" of the violence, citing audio recordings of her calls linking instructions from her office to the deadly street operations. The tribunal also cited evidence of police firing live ammunition at civilians, resulting in an estimated 1,400 deaths during the uprising.
The verdict has brought relief and catharsis for families of those killed in the protests. Golam Rahman, whose son was among the victims, expressed his desire for Hasina to be executed as an example to future rulers. "We, the families of martyrs in the uprising, want to see her hanged," he said.
The international community has condemned the use of the death penalty in this case. The UN human rights office stated that while the verdict was "an important moment for victims," it regretted the imposition of the death penalty and opposed it in all circumstances.
Hasina has been living in exile in India since fleeing Bangladesh last year, and her absence from the trial has been notable. Her government rejected criticism of the tribunal's functioning, saying it operated transparently and allowed observers to document its work.
The verdict comes as Bangladesh prepares for its first election since Hasina's ouster, with her Awami League party banned from participating. The party's leaders are largely in jail or hiding abroad, but they have vowed to cause mass unrest in response to the ruling.
I just can't believe what's happening in Bangladesh! It's crazy how the international community is speaking out against the use of the death penalty in this case... like, isn't it better for people like Sheikh Hasina to face justice without taking away a person's life? 
My cousin has family members in Bangladesh and they're all super upset about what happened last year. They're just hoping that now there'll be real change in the country and that everyone involved will be held accountable... fingers crossed! 
. I'm still trying to process the whole thing. First of all, 1400 people dead and no one's gonna do anything about it? It's like Bangladesh just gave up on holding its leaders accountable for their actions 
.
The international community needs to step in and say that this isn't okay. We need to make sure that Bangladesh's tribunals are holding people accountable for their actions, not just some select few 
.
.
They're finally holding someone accountable for all that madness last year... I mean, 1,400 people dead is just insane! 
But hey, at least justice has been served, right? 
. I feel like Sheikh Hasina getting sentenced to death is kinda justice for her role in all that violence 
especially with the election coming up and all the opposition parties planning to cause trouble 
. My sister's cousin went to Bangladesh last year and she told me it was super tense there 
. I hope everything gets sorted out peacefully 
. But omg the UN is all like "we regret the use of the death penalty" 
...like, what's gonna happen to her now? 
that a leader who was responsible for so much suffering would even get a fair trial. Like, what's the point of having an international crimes tribunal if it's just gonna hand down death sentences? 
And can we talk about how convenient that Hasina was able to flee Bangladesh while the trial was happening? It's like she was playing a game of whack-a-mole, just avoiding accountability and expecting everyone else to deal with it. 
. The use of the death penalty in this case might be contentious, but it's also a reflection of the gravity of the charges against Sheikh Hasina 
.
.
. It will be interesting to see how Bangladesh's government and citizens respond to this development, particularly given the Awami League party's plans for mass unrest 
.
But I guess the truth finally came out. My heart goes out to all the families of those who were killed - it must be so hard for them 
. And good luck with that first election... I'm sure it'll be a real farce. The opposition is already planning to cause chaos, and who knows what kind of things will happen in the days leading up to it? 
what i find really interesting is how the tribunal's use of audio recordings as evidence is super sus 
and now they're gonna hang her if she loses the election, it's like, what even is the point of having a trial if you're just gonna string someone up no matter what the outcome 
. The audio recordings thing sounds soooo disturbing... it's like she was basically calling shots from behind the scenes 
. But you know how they say, 'justice is blind' and all that? 
.
it's like they're trying to send a message that no one is above the law 
but what about the lack of transparency from her government 
and now you've got a power vacuum with an election looming 
. I mean, it's not like she was on trial while hiding out in India or anything 
. The families of those killed are getting catharsis, but at what cost? The international community is saying the death penalty is a no-go, which is about time 
. I wonder how many people will be protesting against the ruling party now that they're banned from participating 
.
anyway, I think its good that families got some form of closure but its still a shame the UN is talking about opposing the death penalty in this case, can't we just have fair trials without resorting to executions? 
The UN is right to say it opposes the death penalty in all circumstances, imo. It's just so... final. Anyway, this verdict does seem like a bit of a catalyst for the upcoming election, which I'm sure will be super interesting with the Awami League party banned and all... 