Pro-India Hasina Wajid / Asaduzzaman… Death Sentence for the Massacre of Students. Demand for Extradition from India
Between 15 July and 5 August last year, 1,400 people were killed and thousands injured in anti-government protests, most of them hit by gunfire from security forces. In an audio recording, Sheikh Hasina can be heard ordering the use of lethal weapons and instructing authorities to kill protesters.
The tribunal issued a detailed 453-page verdict against Sheikh Hasina Wajid, sentencing her to death. The sentence was handed down in her absence. The court ruled that Sheikh Hasina had authorized the use of lethal force against protesters.
“I don’t care what decision the court makes. All the allegations against me are false. God gave me life and He alone will take it. I will continue working for the people of Bangladesh. My house has also been burned down. Party workers should not worry,” said Hasina Wajid.
Dhaka (Web Desk)
A Bangladeshi court has convicted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid in a crimes-against-humanity case and awarded her the death penalty. Her associate and former interior minister, Asaduzzaman, was also sentenced to death. The verdict was delivered by a three-member bench of the International Crimes Tribunal headed by Justice Ghulam Murtaza Mujumdar, with Justice Shafi Alam Mahmood and Judge Moheetul Haq Inam Chaudhry as members.
After months of hearings, the tribunal ruled that the deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina had committed crimes against humanity and had ordered a deadly crackdown on student protesters last year. Announcing the verdict on the cases filed against her, the tribunal found her guilty of crimes against humanity. The tribunal issued a 453-page detailed judgment sentencing her to death. The sentence was delivered in her absence.
The court ruled that Sheikh Hasina permitted the use of lethal weapons on protesters, used state force against them, and chose violence over dialogue with the students. The tribunal repeatedly emphasized in the judgment that Sheikh Hasina authorized lethal force. An audio clip had also surfaced in which Sheikh Hasina was heard instructing officials to use lethal weapons and kill protesters; this audio was officially verified.
The prosecutor informed the court that Hasina Wajid had authorized the use of helicopters and drones to kill protesters, and that she had incited the public against demonstrators through inflammatory speeches. The crimes-against-humanity case filed against her included a prosecution request seeking the death penalty.
During the hearing, the courtroom was packed with families of those killed in the protests, lawyers, and representatives of the Bangladeshi media. The families applauded the verdict and expressed joy.
A United Nations report estimated that between 15 July and 5 August last year, 1,400 people were killed and thousands injured in anti-government protests, most of them targeted by security forces’ gunfire. After this, Hasina Wajid fled Bangladesh in August 2024 and went to India, where she is now living in exile in Delhi.
A spokesperson for the interim government working under Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus rejected allegations of political motivation in the case, saying the court functioned transparently and observers were allowed access to the documents. The spokesperson added that there is no plan to lift the ban on the Awami League. The interim government considers any form of provocation—particularly actions taken by the exiled leadership—to be extremely irresponsible and condemnable.
He said that at the moment there is no room for dialogue with the Awami League because the party continues to deny remorse and accountability for the crimes against humanity committed during its tenure, including those tried under the International Crimes Tribunal. Before the special tribunal announced its verdict, a large crowd of protesters had already gathered near Dhanmondi 32—the residence of the deposed prime minister’s father, Sheikh Mujib. In recent months, this location has become a hub of protests. Police had to use stun grenades to push the crowd back. The demonstrators had even brought along two bulldozers and were chanting slogans such as “Destroy the bastions of fascism.”
Relatives of those killed during last year’s anti-government protests were also present in court on the day of the verdict. Strict security measures have been implemented in Dhaka to deal with any possible situation following the decision. Apart from the police, personnel from the Rapid Action Battalion and the Bangladesh Border Guard have also been deployed in various parts of the city.
It should be noted that, according to UN investigators, 1,400 people were killed during last summer’s protests. The former prime minister is accused of being the mastermind behind the killing of hundreds of protesters. Sheikh Hasina Wajid and her party, the Awami League, deny these allegations.
“I don’t care what decision the court makes”:
Meanwhile, Sheikh Hasina Wajid, the deposed Bangladeshi prime minister currently taking refuge in India, said that she does not care what decision the court makes. She said that all charges against her are false, adding, “God gave me life and He alone will take it. I will continue to work for the people of Bangladesh.” In her statement issued from India, Hasina Wajid said, “We will not forget all this. We will seek accountability. I have lost my parents and my siblings.”
At the same time, the 78-year-old Sheikh Hasina Wajid’s party, the Awami League, has called for a nationwide complete shutdown today, because of which Dhaka’s streets and alleys appear deserted.
Earlier, Hasina Wajid’s adviser and son, Sajeeb Wajid, had issued a warning from the United States that a wave of violence would erupt in the country if a verdict were issued against Sheikh Hasina Wajid. “My house has also been burned down. Party workers should not worry—this is temporary. I know you are suffering, but we will remember everything, and there will be accountability,” he said.
Speaking to Reuters, Sajeeb Wajid stated that they will not file an appeal against the decision until a democratic government takes charge with the inclusion of the Awami League. Just a day earlier, he had warned that if the ban on the Awami League was not lifted, supporters of the party would not allow elections to be held in February, and the protests could turn violent.
It is worth recalling that demonstrations had erupted in Bangladesh against the 30 percent quota granted to the children of veterans of the 1971 war in government jobs. The protests left 200 people dead, after which the Supreme Court abolished the quota system. However, students decided to continue their protest until their fellow demonstrators received justice and had announced a civil-disobedience movement. Instead of negotiating with the students, the government used excessive force, resulting in 1,400 deaths and thousands of injuries.
Sheikh Hasina Wajid remained the country’s longest-serving prime minister as a result of her 19 years in power. She was elected prime minister of Bangladesh for the fourth time in 2024. She has also faced allegations of taking action against political opponents, and her government had banned Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, a ban that was later lifted by the court under the interim government.