Bangladesh's Hasina: From PM to crimes against humanity convict

BANGLADESH’S Sheikh Hasina, whose autocratic rule was ended by a mass uprising she tried to crush, had her downfall sealed yesterday when she was sentenced to be hanged for crimes against humanity.

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Once praised for overseeing Bangladesh’s rapid economic rise, she fled to neighbouring India by helicopter in August 2024 as angry crowds stormed her palace and has remained in hiding ever since.

Critics accused her of jailing political rivals, enacting harsh anti-press laws, and overseeing widespread human rights abuses, including the killing of opposition activists.

The 78-year-old fugitive defied court orders to return to attend her trial on whether she bore command responsibility for the bloody crackdown on the student-led uprising.

Up to 1 400 people were killed between July and August 2024, according to the UN.

The court in Dhaka sentenced her to death after finding her guilty yesterday on three counts of crimes against humanity that included incitement and ordering to kill and inaction to prevent atrocities.