A Bangladesh war crimes court on Monday sentenced ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death, concluding a months-long trial that found her guilty of ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising last year.
The trial was conducted in absentia after Hasina fled into exile, marking the first major step toward holding her responsible for the deaths of hundreds of civilians during the unrest.
The protests, which began peacefully, spiralled into a violent revolt following a harsh security crackdown.
Hasina escaped to India after her government was overthrown in August 2024. She has denied all allegations of wrongdoing and condemned the trial, and it remains unlikely that India, one of her closest allies, will extradite her.
The ruling by the International Crimes Tribunal, a Bangladeshi court, is significant as it delivers on a key pledge of the interim administration led by 85-year-old Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
He was appointed to steer the country out of the turmoil of the “July Revolution” and toward a stable democracy with free and fair elections.
