Bangladesh remains calm after ruling against Hasina

Bangladesh's capital and major cities were calm on Tuesday despite a call for a nationwide shutdown by the former ruling party of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina after she was sentenced to death over her crackdown on a student uprising last year.

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The International Crimes Tribunal handed down death sentences in absentia to Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Monday for their involvement in deadly force used against protesters last year.

Hasina's former ruling Awami League party rejected the court proceedings on Monday, calling it “a kangaroo court” and called for a nationwide shutdown the next day.

Hasina’s opponents clashed with police and soldiers until late on Monday and attempted to use excavators to demolish the home of her father, Bangladesh independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Local media reported the home of former president Abdul Hamid, a veteran Awami League leader, was vandalised in the northeastern Kishoreganj district.

But on Tuesday, there was no closure of services or shops and schools, although some people expressed tension and confusion over what lies ahead for the South Asian nation, a parliamentary democracy of 170 million people.

Mohammad Saikot Hossain, a Dhaka businessman, said there is “no real rule of law here” and he worries about his children’s future.