Why Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Hasina Received a Death Sentence

A Bangladesh war crimes tribunal has handed a death sentence to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The verdict, delivered on Monday, November 17, 2025, follows a months-long trial in which Hasina was found guilty of directing a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising last year.

This judgment marks the most significant legal move against a former Bangladeshi leader in decades and comes just months before parliamentary elections scheduled for early February.

Hasina received a life sentence for charges related to crimes against humanity, in addition to the death sentence for the killing of several individuals during the unrest.

The courtroom erupted in cheers and applause as the death sentence was announced.

The ruling may still be appealed before the Supreme Court.

However, Hasina’s son and adviser, Sajeeb Wazed, told Reuters the day before the verdict that they would not seek an appeal unless a democratically elected government was in office with the participation of the Awami League.

During the proceedings, prosecutors stated they had obtained evidence showing Hasina directly ordered the use of lethal force to quell the student uprising that took place in July and August 2024.

A United Nations report indicates that as many as 1,400 people could have been killed between July 15 and August 5, 2024, with thousands more injured — most of them from security forces’ gunfire — making it the deadliest episode in Bangladesh since the 1971 war of independence.

Hasina was defended by a state-appointed lawyer who argued that the accusations lacked substance and urged the court to acquit her.

Ahead of the ruling, Hasina rejected both the allegations and the integrity of the Tribunal, insisting that a guilty verdict was “a foregone conclusion.”

The nation has been on edge as the judgment approached, experiencing at least 30 crude bomb blasts and the burning of 26 vehicles across different areas in recent days.

No casualties have been reported so far.