Human rights organisations have criticised the death sentence given to ousted Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday by the country’s International Crimes Tribunal.
Ms Hasina (78) was found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death in absentia, as was her former home minister, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal.
“Those individually responsible for the egregious violations and allegations of crimes against humanity that took place during the student-led protests in July and August 2024 must be investigated and prosecuted in fair trials,” said Amnesty International secretary general Agnès Callamard.
“However, this trial and sentence is neither fair nor just. Victims need justice and accountability, yet the death penalty simply compounds human rights violations. It’s the ultimate cruel, degrading and inhuman punishment and has no place in any justice process.”
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UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani called the verdict an “important moment for victims” but said the body “regret[s] the imposition of the death penalty, which we oppose in all circumstances”.
“While we were not privy to the conduct of this trial, we have consistently advocated for all accountability proceedings – especially on charges of international crimes – to unquestionably meet international standards of due process and fair trial. This is particularly vital when, as was the case here, the trials have been conducted in absentia and led to a capital punishment sentence.”
Human Rights Watch said that Bangladeshi authorities “have a long history, including under the Hasina government, of bringing politically motivated cases ... to arbitrarily arrest and detain, unfairly prosecute, and in some cases carry out death sentences against political opponents. Such practices have continued under the interim government.”
The interim government is being led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus. Elections are expected to take place in February 2026, with Ms Hasina’s Awami League party barred from taking part.
Ms Hasina fled to India in August last year, following a crackdown on protests which led to as many as 1,400 deaths, according to a UN assessment. She has called the trial “biased and politically motivated”.
The three judges of the Bangladeshi court, headed by chairman Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder, produced a 453-page ruling, with many of those present for the verdict erupting in applause and cheers when the sentence was pronounced.
The 2024 protests – which became known as the “July revolution” in Bangladesh – were initially student-led, and related to how government jobs were distributed, before developing into a call for a change of government and anger at Ms Hasina herself, who had ruled the country for the previous 15 years.
On Monday, protesters attempted to march with bulldozers to Ms Hasina’s family’s former home in Dhaka, which is known as Dhanmondi 32. Her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was the founding president of Bangladesh, which achieved independence in 1971.
The building – which previously housed a museum – was mostly destroyed following Ms Hasina’s ousting. On Tuesday evening, the road leading to it had been completely closed off and there was a heavy security presence. Inside the property, graffiti was visible on walls, reading “prostitute Hasina, where did you go?” and “be careful, dictator.”
A police officer at the scene said protesters had thrown stones and bricks, while the police used sound grenades and charged the protesters with batons. He said four or five police officers were injured and two or three protesters.
– Raahat Alam assisted with this reporting.
