Agartala, Nov 18: A special tribunal on Monday sentenced former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death for crimes against humanity linked to the 2024 student uprising.
Former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who testified against them, received a five-year sentence after the panel considered his cooperation.
The tribunal found that all three held command responsibility during the unrest, which saw widespread killings, severe injuries, and the use of drones, helicopters, and live ammunition on demonstrators. The judgement stated that Hasina’s remarks during the crisis and her failure to restrain security forces contributed to the escalation.
Moments after the verdict, large-scale clashes broke out in the capital’s key neighbourhoods. Protesters attempted to push through police barricades, following which police used tear gas, sound grenades and chaos prevailed in the capital city.
confrontations.
It was learnt that traffic came to a halt across multiple roads, hospitals restricted entry due to continuous explosions nearby, and dozens of people were reported injured.
Supporters of the former ruling leaders also blocked a major highway in another district as part of a shutdown programme, briefly disrupting movement before police cleared the route.
The state-appointed lawyer representing Hasina and Kamal said he was distressed by the judgement, stating that no appeal can be filed unless the convicted individuals surrender.
The verdict is the first to sentence a former head of government in Bangladesh to death on charges linked to last year’s uprising.
