Dhaka: Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina was on Monday sentenced to death in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on charges of “crimes against humanity” linked to her government’s crackdown on a “nationwide mass uprising” last year that eventually led to her ouster. The tribunal held Hasina, 78, responsible for murder, attempted murder, torture and other inhumane acts, alleging she had ordered the use of lethal weapons, helicopters and drones to suppress protesters. The verdict, delivered months ahead of the parliamentary election, described her as the “mastermind and principal architect” of state-backed violence that killed hundreds, including students. Hasina fled to India on August 5 last year amid the unrest. Her party, the Awami League, has since been barred from contesting the February polls.

In a strongly worded statement, Hasina condemned the ICT as a “rigged tribunal established and presided over by an unelected government with no democratic mandate,” referring to the Muhammad Yunus–led interim administration. She said the judgment was “biased and politically motivated,” adding that the demand for the death penalty reflected the “brazen and murderous intent of extremist figures within the interim government to remove Bangladesh’s last elected PM and erase the Awami League as a political force.” The tribunal also sentenced her former home minister and close confidant Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death on similar charges. A third accused, former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun—who testified as a state witness—received a five-year prison term. Hasina insisted the charges were unfounded, saying she and Khan had “acted in good faith” and tried to minimise casualties. “We lost control of the situation, but to call it a premeditated assault on citizens is simply a misreading of the facts,” she said.

The Awami League has called a nationwide shutdown on Tuesday to protest the verdict. Under Bangladeshi law, Hasina cannot appeal the judgment unless she surrenders or is arrested within 30 days. The three-member tribunal, headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumder, began delivering the verdict around 12.30pm, with proceedings broadcast live on state-run BTV. Some spectators in the courtroom cheered upon hearing the death sentence, prompting the judge to reprimand them. Reportedly, Bangladesh's Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus welcomed the ruling, saying it delivered justice to victims of the uprising: “No one, regardless of power, is above the law.” The opposition BNP, led by former PM Khaleda Zia, also hailed the verdict. Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, dismissed it, calling the ruling “a joke and meaningless.”