DHAKA: A Bangladesh court on Monday convicted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of crimes against humanity, ending a months-long trial over her alleged role in ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising last year. Hasina, 78, has been living in India and defied court orders to return, refusing to recognise the proceedings.
Read More: Bangladesh braces for Hasina verdict amid security alert
The trial examined allegations that Hasina, during her ousted rule, was responsible for mass killings of students in August 2024, with the United Nations reporting up to 1,400 deaths. Prosecutors filed five charges, including failure to prevent murder, under Bangladeshi law, while her co-accused include former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun.
Security was heightened in Dhaka ahead of the verdict, with police checkpoints and armoured vehicles deployed across the capital. Authorities warned of potential unrest, as crude bombs and violent attacks had occurred in recent weeks amid growing tensions surrounding the political crisis.
Read More: Bangladesh to announce verdict in Hasina crimes against humanity
Hasina’s refusal to participate in the trial and her previous statements denouncing it as a “jurisprudential joke” have intensified political turmoil. She also criticised the interim government’s ban on her party, the Awami League, warning that it could deepen instability ahead of the February 2026 elections.