Bangladesh’s international crimes tribunal sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death after finding them guilty of crimes against humanity linked to 2024’s student unrest that ousted Hasina’s government. Both were tried in absentia since they remain in exile in India, Hindustan Times reported.

The cases stem from widespread violence during the July and August 2024 protests, which the United Nations said left about 1400 people dead. The unrest, driven by young demonstrators, escalated sharply as security forces moved to suppress the movement.

The tribunal also convicted Bangladesh’s former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun. He received five years in prison after agreeing to cooperate as a state witness. Based on testimony from witnesses and evidence presented by the state prosecutors which was established to be genuine and not AI generated, the court determined that Hasina had personally asked security forces and law enforcement to use excessive and deadly force against protestors which resulted in fatal casualties among the protestors.

Bangladesh’s interim government head and Nobel peace lauret Muhammad Yunus endorsed the verdict, saying it affirmed the principle that no individual, regardless of influence, could place themselves above the law. He added that the findings showed lethal force had been deployed against unarmed youths and children, conduct he said violated the country’s core values of dignity, resilience and justice.

Sheikh Hasina, who continues to reside in India, rejected the ruling and described it as politically driven. She argued that the tribunal had been formed by an unelected administration without a popular mandate and insisted the outcome had been predetermined. Her supporters in India have maintained that the proceedings lacked transparency and failed to meet international standards expected in cases of such magnitude.