Bangladesh former leader in exile Hasina sentenced to death

Arun Devnath, Bloomberg News on Nov 17, 2025

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A special tribunal in Bangladesh sentenced exiled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death, finding her guilty of crimes against humanity for her role in the violent crackdown on student-led protests last year.

The three-judge panel found the ousted leader guilty of ordering the killings of students and instructing law enforcement agencies to use drones, helicopters, and other weapons against civilians.

“Sheikh Hasina ordered the law enforcing agencies to use drones for locating the congregating protesters and subsequently to use helicopters and lethal weapons to kill them,” Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder said, while reading the verdict on Monday.

The ruling by the tribunal comes after a wave of bomb and arson attacks that took place amid protests organized by Hasina’s Awami League party, which was banned in May from political activity.

Hasina remains in exile in New Delhi after fleeing the country in August 2024 after 15 years in power. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who has served as interim leader since then, continues to face challenges in stabilizing the country. He has pledged to hold elections and a referendum on constitutional reforms in February.

In an emailed response, Hasina called the ruling “biased and politically motivated,” describing it as an attempt to “nullify” her party.

“The verdicts announced against me have been made by a rigged tribunal established and presided over by an unelected government with no democratic mandate,” she said in a statement.

The decision was widely welcomed in Bangladesh, with the courtroom erupting in cheers as the verdict was read. It is likely to put pressure on the Indian government to extradite Hasina to Bangladesh. New Delhi and Dhaka have an extradition treaty and Bangladesh’s interim government last year formally requested her return, although India didn’t respond.

In a statement on Monday, New Delhi said it had ‘noted’ the verdict but stopped short of commenting on the extradition request.

“As a close neighbor, India remains committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh, including in peace, democracy, inclusion and stability in that country,” according to a statement from India’s foreign ministry. “We will always engage constructively with all stakeholders to that end.”

The tribunal’s judgment isn’t final and can be appealed to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court. For that, according to Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam, Hasina must first surrender before a court to appeal the verdict. “Without surrender, fugitives lose their right to appeal,” he said at a media briefing after the verdict.

Experts said after the verdict that it is unlikely the Awami League will be allowed to return to the political arena.

“The political repercussions of this verdict are significant,” said Thomas Kean, a senior consultant at the International Crisis Group. “The prospect of Sheikh Hasina mounting a political comeback in Bangladesh now appears very slim.”

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—With assistance from Kai Schultz, Dan Strumpf and Unni Krishnan.