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Bangladesh’s ousted PM Sheikh Hasina, ex-Home Minister sentenced to death; security on high alert
Bangladesh’s ousted PM Sheikh Hasina, ex-Home Minister sentenced to death; security on high alert
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) of Bangladesh on Monday (November 17, 2025) ordered the execution by hanging of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal after finding them guilty of genocide committed during the July–August 2024 violence in a case involving crimes against humanity. At the same time, former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who turned state witness and testified before the Tribunal against the former Prime Minister and Home Minister, has been sentenced to five years in prison after admitting his involvement.
On Monday (November 17), the three-member Tribunal led by Justice Md. Golam Mortuza Mozumder read the summary of the 453-page verdict consisting of six sections in the absence of Ms. Hasina and Ms. Khan. The other members of the Tribunal are Justice Md. Shafiul Alam Mahmood and Md. Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury. The ICT started reading the verdict around 12:30 p.m. Bangladesh Television broadcast the verdict live from the courtroom of ICT-1. Earlier, Prosecutor Tajul Islam had appealed for the highest punishment for Sheikh Hasina in this case.
Mr. Abdullah Al-Mamun was brought before the Tribunal around 9:10 a.m., in a prison van under heavy security. Mir Mahbubur Rahman Snigdha, brother of Mir Mugdha, who was killed during the July uprising, came to hear the verdict at the Tribunal, where he said, “For the injustice and brutality committed by Sheikh Hasina, even a thousand death sentences would not be enough. It is not only necessary to announce the verdict, but she must also be brought back to the country as soon as the verdict is delivered, and the punishment must be executed on the soil of this country.”
ICT hearing updates on death sentence to ousted Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, former Minister Kamal
Leaders and activists from various political and social organisations gathered outside the International Crimes Tribunal as the verdict in the case against Ms. Hasina was being read out. A group of students also gathered in the TSC area of Dhaka University. They were seen chanting slogans demanding the execution of Sheikh Hasina.
Unrest has erupted in several parts of the country surrounding the verdict. A two-day lockdown called by Ms. Hasina's Party, Bangladesh Awami League, has been observed for the last two days. Party activists brought out processions in several places protesting the verdict. Several Awami League leaders and activists have also been arrested. Crude bombs were also detonated in the same places including in front of the office of National Citizen Party (NCP) that led the July uprising against Ms. Hasina last year.
Amid the verdict, Dhaka was on high alert, with heavy security being deployed around the International Crimes Tribunal. From the Supreme Court premises to the Tribunal compound, members of the Army, police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were positioned in large numbers.
Since Monday (November 17) morning, the Tribunal and its surrounding areas have been placed under a tight security cordon. Security personnel were seen maintaining strict vigilance around the Supreme Court. Army members were seen stationed near the Mazar Gate in the capital, while police, the RAB, and other law enforcement units patrolled both inside and outside the Tribunal premises.
Under the initiative of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, large screens were set up at key locations across the capital to broadcast the proceedings, allowing the public to follow the verdict in real time. The verdict has also been streamed live for audiences around the world. Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Sheikh Mohammad Sajjat Ali has instructed police personnel to open fire if anyone attempts to torch vehicles or hurl crude bombs that endanger lives.
Ahead of the verdict, a group of protesters claiming affiliation with an organisation called “Red July” brought two excavators to demolish the remaining portions of the house of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Dhanmondi-32 in Dhaka around 12 noon. Army and police charged batons on the protesters. At least two sound grenades were lobbed to disperse the protesters.
Following the fall of the Awami League Government on August 5, 2024, the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) was reconstituted. The first case (a miscellaneous case) taken up by the reorganised Tribunal regarding crimes against humanity committed during the July mass uprising was filed against Ms. Hasina. On October 17, last year, the first hearing of the reconstituted Tribunal was held, and on the same day, an arrest warrant was issued against Sheikh Hasina.
Initially, Ms. Hasina was the sole accused in the case. On March 16, 2024, the prosecution sought to include former IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun as a co-accused along with Ms. Hasina, and the Tribunal granted the request. After several extensions, the Tribunal's investigation agency submitted the investigation report to the Office of the Chief Prosecutor on May 12, 2025.
On June 1, the prosecution submitted formal charges against all three accused.
Ms. Hasina and Mr. Khan remain fugitives and Mr. Abdullah Al-Mamun is the only accused under arrest. On the day charges were framed (July 10), Mr. Abdullah Al-Mamun admitted involvement in crimes against humanity committed during the mass uprising and applied to become an “approver” (state witness). Arguments in the case began on October 12 and concluded on October 23. Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam demanded the death penalty for Ms. Hasina and Mr. Khan for crimes against humanity during the July uprising.
State-appointed lawyer Md Amir Hossain represented fugitive accused Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman. In arguments, he sought acquittal for both. The lawyer for approver Abdullah Al-Mamun, Zayed Bin Amjad, also sought acquittal. The prosecution listed 81 witnesses. Of them, 54, including Mr. Abdullah Al-Mamun and the investigation officers, testified before the Tribunal. The prosecution's charge sheet was 135 pages long, accompanied by 8,747 pages of documents and evidence.
A total of five charges have been brought against Ms. Hasina and the two other accused in the case. These include: delivering inciting speeches; ordering the elimination of protesters using lethal weapons; the shooting and killing of Abu Said — a student of Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur; the shooting and killing of six protesters in the Chankharpul area of the capital; and the killing of six people by burning them in Ashulia.
Published - November 17, 2025 01:06 pm IST
Bangladesh / politics (general) / judiciary (system of justice)
Source: The Hindu
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PM Narendra Modi said that Parliament must focus on its plans for India's growth and what it intends to deliver. However, while the BJP backed PM Modi's remark, the Congress countered it aggressively. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remark that the opposition should stop drama and focus on delivery
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