After a lengthy hearing session, the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh convicted and sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death on Monday, November 17. Since fleeing the country during the “July Uprising” in August last year, Sheikh Hasina has been facing numerous cases in Bangladesh. Serious charges against the ousted PM include the shooting of July revolution students, crimes against humanity, and other allegations.
Today, the tribunal of Justice Golam Mortuza Majumder, Justice Mohammad Shafiul Alam Mahmud and Justice Mohammad Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury announced the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh guilty. After that, death sentence was pronounced for Hasina.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Hasina’s party the Awami League has already said that a farce is being carried out in the name of trial in the Jamaat-influenced ‘Kangaroo court’. They have repeatedly said that where there is no opportunity for self-defence, there can never be a fair trial.
Sheikh Hasina, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan and former Police Chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun have been found guilty under the International Criminal Tribunal. Bangladesh has been witnessing tension unrest since the past few days ahead of the verdict and there has been a lot of debate about whether the trio will be given the maximum sentence.
Death sentence for former Home Minister, 5 years jail for former Police Chief
It is worth noting that, along with Sheikh Hasina, the International Tribunal for Bangladesh has also sentenced former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan to death. Another accused former police officer, Al-Mamun, was pardoned and given only five years in prison since he became the approver. Needless to say, this ‘traitor’ Mamun put the final nail in Hasina’s coffin.
Sheikh Hasina declared guilty on three charges
On Monday, Awami League activists and supporters broke out in protests in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi area during the verdict. Sheikh Hasina was declared guilty on three charges today. One, incitement. Two, ordering murder and three, keeping the police inactive at a time when they needed to act. Citing the above reasons, the International Criminal Tribunal of Bangladesh sentenced Sheikh Hasina to death. As soon as the verdict was announced, the courtroom erupted in applause.
High-profile accused and testimonies
Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun were charged with ordering mass killings to crush the “July Uprising.”
While Hasina and Kamal were declared fugitives and tried in absentia, Mamun appeared before the tribunal and later turned approver. The trial, which began on June 1, concluded on October 23 after 28 working days of proceedings. During the hearings, 54 witnesses testified, detailing violent crackdowns and alleged state-backed atrocities during the nationwide student protests.
Charges against Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina allegedly referred to the protesters at Gana Bhavan on July 14 last year as ‘children and grandchildren of Rajakars. The protesters were attacked by members of the security forces and Awami League members on the orders of the former Home Minister, IGP and other higher authorities.
Although the word ‘Rajakar’ or ‘Razakar’ was initially used to mean ‘volunteer’, during the Bangladesh Liberation War it referred to a paramilitary force allied with Pakistan and opposed to independence. This force assisted the Pakistani occupation forces during the Liberation War and suppressed and killed Bengali freedom fighters. Today the word is used as a synonym for traitor and cheat.
Hasina allegedly ordered the killing and elimination of protesters. Helicopters, drones and even lethal weapons were ordered to attack them. As a result, more than a thousand protesters lost their lives on that order.
There are allegations that Sheikh Hasina and three others incited the murder of Abu Sayeed, a student of Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur.
On August 5, 2024, law enforcement officers shot and killed 6 people in Dhaka’s Chankharpul allegedly on Hasina’s orders. Hasina also allegedly ordered to burn 5 dead bodies and one injured person in a police car in Ashulia, Dhaka.