Bangladesh Erupts Again: Sheikh Hasina Sentenced to Death as India Faces Diplomatic Crossroads
Bangladesh’s ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to death in absentia by a Dhaka tribunal for crimes against humanity linked to a brutal state-led crackdown on student-led protests last year that grew into what is now referred to as the “July Revolution.”
The tribunal found Hasina guilty of incitement, ordering lethal force, and failing to prevent mass killings that left an estimated 1,400 people dead—the worst political violence in the country since its 1971 war of independence.
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| File Photo: MEA India |
The court cited intercepted audio directives, field reports, and widely circulated video evidence, including footage of the close-range shooting of university student Abu Sayeed, whose death became a rallying cry for the movement that brought down Hasina’s 15-year government.
Our statement regarding the recent verdict in Bangladesh⬇️
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) November 17, 2025
🔗 https://t.co/jAgre4elBV pic.twitter.com/wgM0gN3q1f
Hasina, who fled Bangladesh in August 2024, has been living in exile under official protection in India. New Delhi, which has received repeated requests for her extradition, issued a brief statement following the verdict.
Without addressing the ruling directly, India reiterated its commitment to “peace, democracy, inclusion and stability” in Bangladesh and said it would continue engaging with all stakeholders.
The verdict comes amid heightened tension in Dhaka. In the days leading up to the ruling, crude bombs were detonated across the capital, and law enforcement issued shoot-on-sight orders for violent protesters.
On the day of the sentencing, army units, police and paramilitary forces were deployed near the court as crowds gathered outside, some celebrating with national flags, others mourning those lost in the uprising.
Those individually responsible for the violations and allegations of crimes against humanity during Bangladesh's student-led protests in 2024 must be investigated and prosecuted in fair trials. This trial and sentence was neither fair nor just.https://t.co/q5wb3IHE38
— Amnesty International USA (@amnestyusa) November 17, 2025
The prosecution’s case was led by Mohammad Tajul Islam, who was appointed by the interim administration formed by protest leaders after Hasina’s removal. That administration, headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has defended the tribunal’s legitimacy against criticism from international human rights groups.
Although the tribunal was originally established by Hasina herself, and previously condemned as politically compromised, the Yunus-led government insisted that the current proceedings had been conducted transparently and in public view.
Human Rights Watch acknowledged improvements but warned that the trial still fell short of global fair trial standards. The UN human rights office described the verdict as a milestone for victims of state violence, while also condemning the imposition of the death penalty.
“We regret the imposition of the death penalty, which we oppose in all circumstances,” said UN spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani.
Hasina responded in a written statement, calling the verdict a “politically motivated charade” and stating she had acted in “good faith” to contain national unrest.
Her son, Sajeeb Wazed, told Reuters that Hasina would remain in India for the foreseeable future and would not remain silent in the face of what he described as “a grave injustice.”
#Bangladesh: The guilty verdict against ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is an important moment for victims of the grave violations committed during the suppression of protests last year.
— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) November 17, 2025
We regret that this trial conducted in absentia led to a capital punishment sentence, which… pic.twitter.com/iKzHnhROM6
For grieving families, the court’s decision brought some measure of justice. Golam Rahman, whose son was among those killed, said, “We buried a boy, not an enemy of the state. The truth had to be said in court.”
The photo of his son dying in a rickshaw on August 4 has since become a symbol of the protest movement, stenciled on walls and carried at marches across the country.
With national elections scheduled for February 2026 and the Awami League barred from participating, Bangladesh’s political future remains uncertain.
Most of the party’s senior figures are either detained or in hiding, but it has pledged resistance in the wake of the ruling. “We are all determined to fight back by whatever means necessary,” Wazed said.