Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death by a special tribunal in Dhaka. The ruling relates to a violent crackdown on student-led protests last year, during which the UN estimates up to 1,400 people were killed, most of them shot by security forces.
Hasina, who has been living in exile in India since being ousted from power in August 2024, was tried in her absence. The verdict places diplomatic pressure on India to consider her extradition, though such a move is widely seen as unlikely.
In an interview last week, Hasina dismissed the proceedings as a “kangaroo court,” criticising the legitimacy of the trial and its political motivations.
Security has been tightened across Bangladesh following the announcement, with authorities bracing for possible unrest. Protests have already broken out in several areas amid growing political tension.
