Former Bangladesh prime minister sentenced to death

A war crimes court sentenced Bangladesh's ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina to death yesterday after finding her guilty of ordering a deadly crackdown on last year's student-led uprising.

- MAROOSHA MUZAFFAR

Prosecutors had sought capital punishment for Hasina in a trial that lasted months, accusing her of ordering the use of lethal force against student protesters, resulting in up to 1,400 deaths.

The tribunal also sentenced the former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan to death, and a third suspect - a former police chief — was sentenced to five years in prison after he became a state witness against Hasina and pleaded guilty. The deliberation of the verdict from the tribunal in the capital, Dhaka, was broadcast live.

Hasina’s Awami League party has called for a nationwide shutdown to protest against the verdict.

Last month, she told The Independent that she would “neither be surprised nor intimidated” if Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) sentenced her to death, calling the proceedings “a sham trial” driven by political vengeance.

Hasina has been in exile in India since fleeing Bangladesh on 5 August last year.

There were cheers and applause in the courtroom as the death sentence was announced, according to Reuters. The ruling can be appealed against before the Supreme Court. However, Hasina’s son and adviser, Sajeeb Wazed, told the news agency on the eve of the verdict that they would not pursue an appeal unless a democratically elected government, with the Awami League participating, is in place.