Accused of crimes against humanity, Sheikh Hasina Wajid sentenced to death

Dhaka (94 news) The court of Bangladesh convicted former Prime Minister Hasina Wajid of crimes against humanity and sentenced Sheikh Hasina Wajid to death.

The Bangladeshi court has said that according to the leaked phone call, Hasina Wajid gave orders to kill the protesting students, the accused Sheikh Hasina Wajid instigated the riots instead of listening to the demands of the students, Hasina Wajid took insulting measures to suppress the students' movement by force.

The court said that Hasina Wajid and former interior minister Asad-ul-Zaman Khan Kamal are still fugitives. Despite the numerous notices sent for their appearance, the absconding of the two accused is an admission of their guilt. All the evidences presented point to crimes against humanity. The court said that the named accused in the case, former police chief Chaudhry Abdullah Al-Mamun, will be given a light sentence. Al-Mamun is the only accused who was present in the court.

The court said that Sheikh Hasina committed crimes against humanity by ordering the use of drones, helicopters and deadly weapons.

The case of crimes against humanity against former Prime Minister Hasina Wajid was under hearing since last year, in which death penalty was requested.

According to the Reuters news agency, a report of the United Nations declared that last year 15 From July 5 During anti-government protests in mid-August, security forces fired approx 1400 People were killed and thousands were injured, who 1971 It was the worst political violence in Bangladesh since the war of independence. Sheikh Hasina August 2024 I left Bangladesh and live in exile in New Delhi.

78 The year-old Hasina had refused to return from India for a court appearance in defiance of court orders, which was to determine whether she had committed suicide in August. 2024 I ordered a deadly crackdown on student-led protests that led to her dismissal.

During the crackdown according to the United Nations 1,400 As many as 1,000 people died, central to the case as Hasina sought to hold on to power. As the verdict date was set last week, Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam told reporters that "justice will be served in accordance with the law."

Prosecutors filed five charges, including failure to prevent the killings, which fall under the category of crimes against humanity under Bangladeshi law. The court heard months of testimony in absentia, claiming that Hasina had ordered the mass killings, with Sheikh Hasina Wajid calling the case a "legal farce".

Among his co-accused is former interior minister Asadul Zaman Khan Kamal(fugitive) and former police chief Chaudhry Abdullah Al-Mamun, who is in custody and has pleaded guilty.

Hasina Wajid was provided a state lawyer for the court but refused to submit to the court's authority and said she denies all the charges.