Sheikh Hasina, former Bangladesh PM, sentenced to death by Dhaka court for 'crimes against humanity'

Sheikh Hasina, former Bangladesh PM, sentenced to death by Dhaka court for 'crimes against humanity'

Dhaka:

In a significance development, ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was on Monday sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal over the violence and killings during the July-August 2024 agitation. The ICT also convicted Hasina of crimes against humanity, concluding a months-long trial that found her guilty of ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising last year.

Bangladesh's special tribunal aso sentenced former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death for crimes against humanity. Apart from this, the tribunal sentenced ex-police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun to five years of imprisonment for crimes against humanity.

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ICT says 1,400 people were killed and 24,000 were injured during unrest

The ICT judge said that during the July-August 2024 protests, approximately 1,400 people were killed and around 24,000 were injured. The judge also noted that Sheikh Hasina's government deployed lethal weapons, including firearms and helicopters, to suppress the demonstrators, resulting in widespread violence and devastation.

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Sheikh Hasina ordered the use of helicopters, lethal weapons to kill protesters, said one of the judges of the ICT as he was reading from an alleged conversation between Hasina and the former mayor of South Dhaka Municipal Corporation.

ICT judge says Sheikh Hasina had instigated violence in Bangladesh

The ICT judge also stated that Sheikh Hasina had instigated violence and labelled people as enemies of the state by making the Razakar remark.

The Bangladesh court ruled that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina committed crimes against humanity, stating there are sufficient grounds to frame charges against her. The court also cited her alleged incitement of violence that led to the killing of students, along with derogatory remarks made during a 14 July press conference.

Notably, Sheikh Hasina, 78, faces multiple charges arising from the mass uprising that forced her out of office in August 2024. A UN rights office report estimates that up to 1,400 people were killed between July 15 and August 15 during the “July Uprising” as her government ordered a sweeping security crackdown. Hasina and Kamal were declared fugitives and tried in absentia, while Mamun initially faced trial in person before turning approver.


Chief Prosecutor calls Hasina ‘mastermind and principal architect’

Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam has described Hasina as the “mastermind and principal architect” of the alleged atrocities during the protests. Her supporters maintain the charges are politically motivated.

The tribunal concluded hearings on October 23 after 28 working days, during which 54 witnesses testified about the state’s response to the student-led movement that toppled Hasina’s government on August 5, 2024.

Hasina fled Bangladesh amid intensifying unrest

Hasina fled Bangladesh the same day amid intensifying unrest and has since been residing in India. Kamal is also believed to have taken refuge in India. The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus has sought Hasina’s extradition, but India has yet to respond.

Security has been heightened nationwide ahead of the verdict. Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali on Sunday evening issued shoot-at-sight orders against anyone involved in arson, explosions or attempts to harm police and civilians.

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