Hasina reacts to her death sentence

Ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, currently in exile in India, delivered her response after being sentenced to death in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) for crimes against humanity committed during the July 2024 mass uprising.

The verdict, she said, revealed "the brazen and murderous intent of extremist figures in an unelected government," NDTV reports.

The ICT sentenced Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death, holding both responsible for directing a coordinated and deadly crackdown on students and civilians.

Hasina rejected the charges in full, describing the proceedings as "rigged" and asserting that she and the Awami League were denied a meaningful opportunity to defend themselves. She accused the tribunal of lacking impartiality, alleging that its judges and lawyers had publicly aligned themselves with the interim administration.

"All of this is established fact and verified by international media, NGOs, and non-partisan bodies such as the IMF. I wish to add... not a single citizen of Bangladesh has cast a vote for him (Yunus)," she said.

She further accused the court of selectively prosecuting Awami League members while ignoring documented violence committed by other parties, and claimed that the trials were politically motivated to "scapegoat" her party and distract from the administration's failings.

Hasina also cited her telephonic conversations with Dhaka University's former vice-chancellor ASM Maksud Kamal and other officials, insisting she did not order security forces to fire on unarmed protesters. 

However, leaked audio of one of her phone calls, verified by BBC Eye earlier this year, suggested that she had authorised the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

The ICT also found evidence that she actively incited party affiliates and law enforcement to suppress the protests using drones, helicopters, and lethal weapons, resulting in widespread deaths and injuries across 50 districts.

While denying direct responsibility, Hasina stated that she would face her accusers "in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed fairly" and suggested taking the case to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Regarding the protest and the lives lost, she framed the events as having spiralled out of control rather than being the result of deliberate orders.

Hasina fled Bangladesh following the student-led uprising on 5 August 2024 and has remained in India since. Ahead of the ICT verdict, she sent messages to supporters claiming she was unconcerned about the tribunal's ruling.

Despite her denial, the ICT concluded that her directives and oversight contributed to one of the deadliest coordinated crackdowns on civilians in Bangladesh's recent history, leaving approximately 1500 people dead and 25000 injured.