Sheikh Hasina Sentenced to Death by Bangladesh ICT: Full Verdict on 2024 Protest Crackdown


  In a landmark ruling, Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal has sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death for crimes against humanity, finding her guilty on three counts—incitement to violence, ordering the extermination of protesters, and failing to prevent atrocities—during the brutal crackdown on the July-August 2024 student-led uprising that toppled her 15-year Awami League rule and claimed over 1,400 lives according to UN estimates, marking a dramatic chapter in the nation's quest for accountability post the interim government of Muhammad Yunus. The three-judge bench, chaired by Justice Mohd Golam Mortuza Majumder, also condemned former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death, while pardoning ex-police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun after he sought an apology and turned approver, delivering the verdict in a packed courtroom amid tight security in Dhaka.

Verdict Details: Hasina's Role in the Deadly Crackdown

The tribunal detailed how Hasina's government ignored student demands for quota reforms, instead deriding protesters as "Razakars"—a slur evoking 1971 collaborators—and unleashing a security apparatus including drones for surveillance, helicopters for dispersal, and lethal weapons via Awami League's Chhatra and Yuva wings, targeting Dhaka University students and nationwide demonstrators. "Hasina ordered law enforcement to eliminate protesters," the judgment stated, citing witness testimonies proving attacks on peaceful gatherings, with the accused acting in concert to perpetrate mass atrocities. Hasina and Kamal, declared fugitives since fleeing to India on August 4, 2024, were tried in absentia; the court noted their evasion as indicative of guilt, imposing capital punishment on one count each.

Trial Context: From Uprising to Exile and Extradition Stalemate

The case stems from the "July Uprising," a student movement against job quotas that escalated into nationwide protests, forcing Hasina's resignation amid violence that killed 1,400 and injured thousands. Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam branded Hasina the "mastermind," charging her with murder, attempted murder, torture, and inhumane acts; supporters decry it as political retribution by the Yunus-led interim regime. Hasina's extradition request remains unanswered by India, her refuge since the fall, while Kamal is believed there too; Mamun's testimony detailed the chain of command, earning clemency.

Security Measures and Immediate Aftermath: Tensions in Dhaka

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali imposed shoot-at-sight orders against arson or attacks on police/civilians, deploying army, BGB, and riot units around the ICT amid Awami League's two-day shutdown. Streets emptied with fears of reprisals; the ruling, read to a tense courtroom, sparked muted reactions as Hasina's supporters allege bias in the tribunal's composition.

Implications: Justice, Reconciliation, and Regional Stability

This verdict, the first major against Hasina, advances transitional justice but risks deepening divisions in polarized Bangladesh, where Awami League vows resistance and BNP eyes gains. For India, hosting Hasina raises diplomatic strains with Dhaka; regionally, it underscores youth-led change's volatility in South Asia.

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