Tried in absentia, Hasina and her former home minister Kamal were found guilty of colluding to suppress nationwide protests, while former police chief Mamun turned approver.
BY PC Bureau
November 17, 2025: Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal has sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death over alleged crimes against humanity linked to last year’s student-led protests that toppled her Awami League government. Hasina was found guilty on three counts, following a months-long trial that concluded she had ordered a lethal crackdown on the demonstrators.
The three-member tribunal, headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumder, also delivered verdicts against Hasina’s two close aides — former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun — under the same charges. The court stated that all three acted in collusion to commit atrocities aimed at suppressing protesters nationwide.
Hasina and Kamal, declared fugitives, were tried in absentia, while Mamun initially appeared in court before turning approver.
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Court Findings
The tribunal noted that the Hasina government ignored students’ demands, instead undermining the movement with derogatory remarks, labeling protesters as “Razakars,” a pejorative term in Bangladesh. Following these statements, protests escalated, including participation by female students. The court concluded that Hasina then ordered a violent crackdown on the demonstrators. Evidence presented by prosecution witnesses implicated Awami League-affiliated groups, including the Chhatra League and Yuva League, in attacks on Dhaka University students.
🚨🇧🇩 Bangladesh’s tribunal sentences former PM Sheikh Hasina to death for ‘crimes against humanity’ pic.twitter.com/ZChYnhwlbU
— Sputnik India (@Sputnik_India) November 17, 2025
Charges Against Hasina
Sheikh Hasina, Kamal, and Mamun faced five charges, including murder, attempted murder, torture, and other inhumane acts. Hasina was accused of orchestrating the “extermination” of protesters, making inflammatory statements, and directing the use of lethal force during the mass uprising that forced her resignation in August 2024. According to a UN rights report, up to 1,400 people were killed between July 15 and August 15, 2024, during the so-called “July Uprising.”
Exile and Extradition Efforts
The 78-year-old Hasina fled Bangladesh on August 4, 2024, amid escalating unrest, and is currently living in exile in India. Kamal is also reportedly in India. The interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, has requested her extradition, but India has not yet responded. Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam described Hasina as the “mastermind and principal architect” of the alleged atrocities, while her supporters maintain the charges are politically motivated.
Security Measures Amid Verdict
Ahead of the verdict, nationwide security was tightened. Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali issued shoot-at-sight orders against those attempting arson, explosions, or attacks on police and civilians. Streets across the capital remained largely deserted as army troops, Border Guard Bangladesh personnel, and riot police were deployed. The now-disbanded Awami League had called a two-day shutdown in anticipation of the ruling.
