Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to death by the court she established in 2010 to try war crimes from the 1971 liberation war. The International Crimes Tribunal found her guilty of “crimes against humanity” tied to last year's anti-government student-led protests.
The court held Hasina responsible for ordering and enabling a brutal crackdown as her Awami League government struggled to stay in power. UN estimates suggest up to 1,400 people were killed by state action.
Hasina, currently in India, was tried in absentia. The Bangladesh government has, for months, been demanding her extradition, a call expected to intensify following the verdict.
Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal
The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) is a domestic Bangladeshi court created in 2010 by then-Prime Minister Hasina. It was originally set up to prosecute crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 independence movement, including genocide, rape, murder, arson and other wartime atrocities.
Hasina revived a dormant 1973 war-crimes law to address long-standing demands for justice for the 1971 Liberation War, during which an estimated 3 million people were killed.
Under her government, the tribunal focused heavily on prosecuting:
- Members of Jamaat-e-Islami.
- Leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
- Other alleged collaborators of the Pakistani military.
The ICT was not a UN-backed court, and its proceedings repeatedly faced criticism for failing to meet international fair trial standards.
Several trials led to death sentences.
Reforms Under The Yunus Government
After the fall of Hasina's Awami League, the Mohammad Yunus-led interim government retained the death penalty but introduced significant legal amendments:
In November 2024, the ICT law was revised.
- Extra-territorial jurisdiction for crimes by Bangladeshi citizens abroad.
- Inclusion of incitement, conspiracy, and expanded definitions of crimes against humanity aligned with the Rome Statute.
- Stronger rights for the accused, including protection from torture, timely trial, adequate defence preparation, interpreter access, and disclosure of exculpatory evidence.
- Admissibility rules for digital evidence with safeguards.
- Victim participation, compensation mechanisms, and witness protection.
- Provision for foreign lawyers, virtual testimony, and interlocutory appeals.
Then 2025 amendments expanded the tribunal's powers even further, allowing it to prosecute political organisations and dismantle them.
Role In The Sheikh Hasina Verdict
In Hasina's conviction, the tribunal did not move to dismantle the Awami League but recommended that the government seize the properties of Hasina and former minister Asaduzzaman Khan to compensate victims.
Hasina still faces three additional cases before the tribunal:
- Two linked to enforced disappearances during her rule
- One related to mass killings in 2013.
