by Sheikh Arif (Dhaka Bureau)
Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal has ordered the death penalty for the ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a case involving crimes against humanity committed during the July 2024 mass uprising. This is the first case related to crimes against humanity, including murder, during the mass uprising to be adjudicated by the International Crimes Tribunal, with the verdict announced on Monday.
The verdict was pronounced on Monday (November 17) at 2:50 PM by the three-member judicial panel led by Tribunal Chairman Justice Md. Golam Mortuza Majumder. The other two members of the Tribunal were Justice Md. Shafiul Alam Mahmud and Judge Md. Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury.
The International Crimes Tribunal ruled that all five charges of crimes against humanity brought against Sheikh Hasina and two other defendants have been proven. Among these, the Tribunal sentenced Sheikh Hasina to imprisonment till natural death for the first charge, where her Superior Responsibility was proven.
The Tribunal stated in the verdict that the defendants were sentenced by dividing the five charges into three counts. The first charge against them states that on July 14, 2024, Sheikh Hasina delivered an inciting speech at a press conference. In that speech, she referred to the protestors, who were demanding justice under the banner of the anti-discrimination student movement, as ‘children of Razakars’ and ‘grandchildren of Razakars.’
Following this, under the ‘instigation, assistance, and involvement’ of Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, and other senior authorities of the then government, members of law enforcement agencies and armed ‘Awami terrorists’ systematically launched attacks on a mass scale against innocent, unarmed students and the public. This charge includes crimes against humanity such as instigation, incitement, failure to prevent the commission of crimes, and conspiracy.
In this charge, the allegation of Superior Command Responsibility was proven against Sheikh Hasina because she instructed the commission of the crimes and failed to prevent them. Under this charge, the Tribunal sentenced her to ‘Imprisonment Till Natural Death’.
The Tribunal sentenced Sheikh Hasina to death on three separate charges. The second charge states that Sheikh Hasina ‘ordered the killing and elimination’ of the protestors using helicopters, drones, and lethal weapons.
Charge number four alleges the shooting and killing of six people by law enforcement agencies in the capital’s Chankharpool area on August 5 last year. Charge number five relates to the burning and killing of a total of six people, including one who was alive, in Ashulia.
In the verdict, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal was also sentenced to death. He was given the death penalty on all five charges. The other defendant in the case, former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, was sentenced to five years in prison. The Tribunal handed him this lighter sentence after he confessed and became a Rajshakshi (State Witness).
Family members of some of those killed in the July-August movement last year, including Shamsi Ara Zaman, mother of journalist Tahir Zaman Priyo, and Mir Snigdha, brother of Mir Mugdho, were present at the Tribunal during the verdict announcement. Several participants in the movement were also present. The courtroom was fully packed, with many standing to listen to the verdict as all seats were taken.
The reading of the verdict was scheduled to start at 11 AM but was delayed by an hour and a half. The judge began reading the verdict after 12:30 PM. Initially, Tribunal Chairman Justice Md. Golam Mortuza Majumder thanked those who helped bring the case to the verdict stage through a long process.
Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal are fugitives in this case. Sheikh Hasina is currently residing in India. Former IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun has been arrested and held in prison for nearly a year. He became a Rajshakshi and testified against the former Prime Minister and Home Minister before the Tribunal. Consequently, the prosecution left the matter of the former IGP’s punishment to the Tribunal. The Tribunal sentenced him to 5 years in prison.
About the Writer:
Sheikh Arif. Panel Editor of Pressenza, Dhaka Bureau.