Bangladesh’s Former Prime Minister Sentenced to Death for Violent Crackdown on Student Protests | WPN World People News

Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who in 2024 ordered a violent crackdown on student protests that later escalated into a nationwide anti-government uprising resulting in as many as 1,400 deaths, was found guilty and sentenced to death on November 17, 2025, by a Dhaka court. The interim government reached the verdict after several months of trial, convicting Hasina on three counts, including crimes against humanity.

Between July and August 2024, Bangladesh was rocked by massive student-led protests that were met with force by the government. According to the United Nations, about 1,400 people were killed. Former Prime Minister Hasina was accused of incitement, ordering killings, and failing to prevent atrocities. The trial began in June, during which multiple witnesses testified that Hasina personally ordered the massacre. Prosecutors also presented an audio recording in which she instructed security forces to “use lethal weapons.”

In August 2024, when enraged crowds stormed her official residence, Hasina fled to India by helicopter and has remained missing since. She refused to return for trial, calling the proceedings a “legal farce.” In July this year, she was convicted in absentia for contempt of court and sentenced to six months in jail. Additional corruption cases are pending against her, involving her daughter, UN official Wasade, and her niece, British MP Siddiq—all of whom deny the charges. Although Hasina was once praised for economic reforms, she was also widely criticized for suppressing the media and persecuting political opponents.

Hasina, now 78, is the daughter of Bangladesh’s founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was assassinated in a 1975 coup. After six years in exile, she returned to the country and briefly allied with Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to topple the military government. She first came to power in 1996 and regained office in 2008, steering Bangladesh’s rapid economic growth, with per-capita income surpassing India’s by 2021. Now sentenced to death, her chances of a political comeback are slim. Her longtime rival Zia, now 80, despite past periods of house arrest, is set to contest the 2026 election, in which the BNP is widely expected to prevail.