A court in Bangladesh on Monday sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death after being convicted of “crimes against humanity.”
Judge Golam Mortoza Mozumder, while reading the verdict, stated that Hasina “was convicted on three charges,” including incitement, issuing orders for killings, and failing to take action to prevent atrocities. He added, “We have decided to impose one punishment on her, which is the death penalty.”
Sheikh Hasina (78 years old) refused to comply with the court’s order to return from India to attend her trial regarding the violent security campaign against the student-led uprising that ousted her in August 2024.
The United Nations reported in February that up to 1,400 people may have been killed in the violence, while the country’s health advisor under the interim government stated that more than 800 people were killed and around 14,000 were injured.
Hasina survived at least 19 assassination attempts throughout her political career, which began in 1981.
The country is currently governed by an interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, following Sheikh Hasina’s ousting. This government has pledged to hold elections in February next year.
