Death penalty sought for ex-Bangladesh PM Hasina over 2024 crackdown

Bangladeshi prosecutors on Thursday demanded the death penalty for former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who is being tried in absentia on charges of crimes against humanity linked to a violent crackdown on anti-government protests in 2024.

Chief prosecutor Tajul Islam told reporters outside the court that Hasina should face the “highest punishment” for her alleged role in ordering security forces to open fire on demonstrators during a student-led uprising between July and August 2024. The United Nations estimates that up to 1,400 people were killed during the unrest.

“For a single murder, one death penalty is the rule. For 1,400 murders, she should be sentenced 1,400 times — but since that is not humanly possible, we demand at least one,” Islam said.

The prosecution has alleged that the 78-year-old former leader was the “nucleus” behind all crimes committed during the uprising. Hasina, who fled to India last year and has defied court orders to return, is being tried alongside two former senior officials — ex-interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, also a fugitive, and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who is in custody and has pleaded guilty.

Prosecutors said Kamal should also face the death penalty. The trial, which began on June 1, has heard several testimonies accusing Hasina of ordering or failing to prevent killings. Audio recordings played in court allegedly captured Hasina directing security forces to “use lethal weapons” against protesters.