Newsbreak: Bangladesh’s ex-Prime Minister sentenced to death
By Samuel Ogunsona
A Bangladesh court has handed down a death sentence to former Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina.
She was indicted for her role in the deadly attacks against peaceful protesters which led to deaths.
The verdict was met with cheers in the packed courtroom as the judge delivered the guilty verdict.
Judge Golam Mortuza Mozumder stated that Hasina was found guilty on three counts, including incitement, ordering killings, and failing to prevent atrocities.
“All the elements constituting crimes… have been fulfilled,” the judge said, explaining the reasoning behind the sentence.
“We have decided to inflict her with only one sentence — that is, a sentence of death.”
The trial, which was held in absentia, heard months of testimony detailing how Hasina allegedly ordered mass killings during a student-led uprising that ultimately led to her ousting.
The prosecution presented evidence that suggested Hasina’s government was responsible for the deaths of up to 1,400 people, according to the United Nations.
Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam had expressed hope that the verdict would bring an end to crimes of this nature, saying, “We have hoped that the people’s thirst for justice will be fulfilled, and that this verdict will mark an end to crimes.”
Former Interior Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, also a fugitive, was sentenced to death on four counts of crimes, while former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun received a five-year prison sentence after pleading guilty.
Hasina’s supporters and lawyers have denounced the trial as a “jurisprudential joke,” and the former PM has refused to return to Bangladesh to face the charges.
The verdict comes ahead of the country’s first polls since Hasina’s overthrow in August 2024, and Bangladesh is expected to hold elections in February 2026.
The country has been in turmoil since the end of Hasina’s autocratic rule, with violence marring campaigning and raising concerns about the country’s stability.
