AfriPulse
Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, has been found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death for the violent suppression of student protests last year that led to the collapse of her government.
A special tribunal found she was responsible for ordering a violent crackdown on student-led protests last year, during which the UN estimates up to 1,400 people died, most by gunfire from security forces.
Hasina, 78, who is the aunt of Labour MP Tulip Siddiq – was tried in her absence as she is living in exile in India, where she has been since being forced from power.
A three-judge bench of the country’s international crimes tribunal convicted Hasina of crimes including murder, extermination, torture and other inhumane acts.
“Sheikh Hasina committed crimes against humanity by her incitement, order and failure to take punitive measures,” one of the judges said as he delivered her verdict.
It was “crystal clear” that she “expressed her incitement to the activists of her party… and furthermore, she expressed that she ordered to kill and eliminate the protesting students,” the judges said.
What began as peaceful student demonstrations over civil service job quotas last year transformed into a nationwide push for Hasina’s resignation. The turning point was a government crackdown that may have killed up to 1,400 people, according to the UN human rights office. Up to 25,000 were also injured, the court heard.
Hasina faced five charges primarily related to inciting the murder of the protestors, ordering protestors to be hanged, and ordering the use of lethal weapons, drones, and helicopters to suppress the unrest. She denies the charges.
The former leader ruled the South Asian nation with an iron-fist from 2009 until her ouster in 2024, and it’s
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