Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Monday, 17 November, sentenced ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death after finding her guilty of crimes against humanity linked to the violent crackdown on the July–August 2024 protests. The verdict triggered heightened tensions nationwide, with army, police and paramilitary forces heavily deployed across key areas, turning Dhaka into a security fortress.
The tribunal held Hasina responsible on three major counts: preventing justice, ordering killings, and failing to act to stop punitive violence against demonstrators. The proceedings were aired live as a three-member bench led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder read portions of the 453-page judgment divided into six sections.
Former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun were also named. Kamal was convicted alongside Hasina, while Al-Mamun was spared the death sentence after turning state witness.
The judges cited multiple investigative reports to state that there was clear evidence that Hasina directly authorised the use of helicopters and lethal weapons against protesters in Dhaka. The court also noted allegations that the government denied medical care to injured demonstrators by admitting them under false identities, concealing bullet wounds and pressuring doctors, including allegedly threatening one to alter the post-mortem report of Abu Sayed.
The verdict marks the first instance of a former Bangladeshi Prime Minister receiving the death penalty from the ICT, further deepening political uncertainty in the country.
