DHAKA, Bangladesh(Independent)
– Sheikh Hasina, the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, is on trial for crimes against humanity and could face the death penalty for her alleged role in a violent crackdown that killed an estimated 1,400 people and ended her 15-year rule.
The 78-year-old leader, who is the aunt of British Labour MP Tulip Siddiq, is being tried in absentia by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal. Prosecutors have requested the death sentence, asserting they can prove she ordered state forces to “use lethal weapons” against protesters.
According to the UN human rights office, the deadly unrest began in July of last year as protests against civil service job quotas for families of independence war veterans. The demonstrations quickly escalated into a nationwide uprising demanding her resignation.
Prosecutors allege that Hasina’s orders led not only to mass killings but also to the incineration of bodies and the denial of medical care to victims, constituting violence against women and children. She has denied all charges.
“The killings were executed under her direct order,” said prosecutor Maynul Karim, who claimed his team has gathered phone records, audio and video evidence, and witness testimonies linking Hasina directly to the atrocities. “We can prove beyond any doubt that she deserves the death penalty.”
The court has issued arrest warrants for Hasina and her former interior minister, Asaduzzaman Khan, both of whom are believed to be in India.
In a significant development, the former police chief, Chowdhury Abdullah al-Mamun, was arrested and pleaded guilty in July. Prosecutors state that in his confession, he admitted that Hasina ordered the “extermination of protesters using helicopters, drones, and lethal weapons,” which he then carried out.
Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam told the court that Hasina deserved “1,400 death sentences,” and since that was impossible, the prosecution demanded “at least one.” He accused the former leader of being a “hardened criminal” who showed no remorse and whose goal was “to cling to power permanently, for herself and her family.”
Hasina’s defence is scheduled to present its case, with a final judgment expected by mid-November. If convicted, she also faces the confiscation and auction of her properties, with proceeds distributed to victims of the uprising.
Her tenure was marred by widespread allegations of election-rigging, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, torture, and enforced disappearances. Hasina has already been sentenced to six months for contempt of court and faces separate corruption charges.
In a related case, her niece, MP Tulip Siddiq, is being tried in absentia for allegedly influencing Hasina to secure plots of land for her family—charges Siddiq denies.
With Hasina’s Awami League party banned from all activities, including the upcoming February elections, her rival Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is now the frontrunner.
