Sheikh Hasina found guilty of crimes against humanity over 2024 student protests

New Delhi: Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) on Monday convicted deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina of crimes against humanity for masterminding the violent suppression of last year’s student-led protests that led to the fall of her Awami League government.

The three-member tribunal also found Hasina's two aides, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, guilty over the same charges, noting their joint actions to kill and suppress protesters.

Mamun was present in court, having pleaded guilty in July and testified as a state witness, while Hasina and Kamal were tried in absentia.

Prosecutors had sought the death penalty for the accused, and sentencing has begun with the tribunal indicating maximum punishment due to the severity of the crimes, though the final sentence remains pending.

Hasina, 78, faces multiple charges arising from the mass uprising that forced her out of office in August 2024. A UN rights office report estimates that up to 1,400 people were killed and 24,000 injured between July and August during the “July Uprising” as her government ordered a sweeping security crackdown, including the use of lethal weapons, drones, helicopters, and orders to hang protesters.

Hasina was declared a fugitive and tried in absentia, with the tribunal highlighting her superior control over the home minister and police chief, failure to act against perpetrators, and direct orders captured in forensic-verified conversations, such as threats to label protesters as "Razakars" and inflammatory hate speeches.

Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam described Hasina as the “mastermind and principal architect” of the alleged atrocities during the protests. Her supporters maintain the charges are politically motivated.

The tribunal concluded hearings on October 23 after 28 working days, during which 54 witnesses testified about the state’s response to the student-led movement that toppled Hasina’s government on August 5, 2024. The 453-page judgment emphasized systematic killings, bodies being burnt by police, denial of medical aid, and altered autopsy reports under government pressure.

Hasina fled Bangladesh the same day amid intensifying unrest and has since been residing in India. Kamal is also believed to have taken refuge in India. The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus has sought Hasina’s extradition, but India has yet to respond, with officials describing it as a "judicial and legal" issue requiring consultations.

Security has been heightened nationwide following the verdict. Dhaka has been turned into a fortress with army, police, and paramilitary forces deployed. Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali issued shoot-at-sight orders against anyone involved in arson, explosions or attempts to harm police and civilians. Clashes have already erupted, with sound grenades and batons used to disperse crowds near key sites like Dhanmondi 32.

The now-disbanded Awami League called a two-day shutdown ahead of the judgement. Army troops, Border Guard Bangladesh personnel and riot police have been deployed around the ICT-BD complex, with streets in the capital largely deserted amid fears of violence.

Hasina, Kamal and Mamun face five charges, including murder, attempted murder, torture and other inhumane acts. A key charge accuses Hasina of ordering the “extermination” of protesters. She is also accused of making inflammatory remarks and directing the use of deadly weapons against students.

Additional charges relate to the shooting deaths of unarmed protesters in Dhaka and surrounding areas, with specific incidents cited in the verdict.

In interviews with international media, Hasina has labelled the tribunal a “kangaroo court” run by individuals aligned with her political opponents. In comments to the BBC last week, she "categorically" denied issuing orders to fire on unarmed civilians, stating: "I'm not denying that the situation got out of control, nor that many lives were lost needlessly. But I never issued any order to fire on unarmed civilians."

Her lawyers have appealed to the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions over fair trial concerns.

The ICT-BD was originally established to try collaborators of Pakistani forces during Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War. The Yunus administration later amended its mandate to prosecute leaders of the previous regime, including Hasina. Most senior Awami League figures are either jailed or on the run.