Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was on Monday sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICR-1) over the violence and killings that took place during the July-August 2024 protests.
Hasina and two others, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamaland and former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, were tried for crimes against humanity.
The tribunal spared Bangladesh’s former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun from the death penalty after he became a prosecution witness.
Found Guilty On 3 Counts
The ICT found Hasina guilty on three counts of incitement, order killing and failing to prevent atrocities and punitive action against perpetrators, ruled the chief judge of ICT. “Imprisonment till death under charge one,” ruled the judge.
The judge said that Sheikh Hasina, the former home minister, and the ex-police chief acted jointly to kill and suppress the agitators.
Ordered Use Of Helicopters & Lethal Weapons
The chief judge also ruled that Sheikh Hasina ordered the use of helicopters and lethal weapons in the killing of agitators. This was revealed by her in a conversation with the South Dhaka Municipal Corporation Mayor. The CD and conversation have been checked by the forensics and they have been termed genuine.
Ordered Killing Of Protesting Students
The chief ICT judge further said, Hasina ordered the killing of protesting students, adding that the records of the conversation with the Dhaka University VC are available.
The former Prime Minister used the “abusive Razakar” term for Dhaka University students, stated the chief judge. The defamatory words angered the protesters. On the night following July 14, 2024, Hasina held a telephonic conversation with a university’s VC and said, “I have hanged Razakars, they [protesters] will also be hanged. None of them will be spared,” the judge said, quoting the conversation.
Made Hate Speeches
The tribunal said that Sheikh Hasina made hate speeches and, in a phone conversation with an aide named Shakeel, asked him to kill 226 individuals connected to cases filed against her. The judge ordered Hasina to immediately stop making such hate-filled comments. The court highlighted that her remarks were both contemptuous and incitement to violence.
Mastermind Of Students’ Killing
The police shot dead protesters at multiple sites, including six each in Ashulia and Chankharpul, said one of the three judges of the ICT. The judgment report said Sheikh Hasina was the mastermind of the killings.
The report said there was systematic killing of protesters and identified bodies of the victims were burnt by police.
Notably, the Dhaka Metropolitan police has issued a shoot-to-kill order against anyone involved in arson attacks, cocktail explosions or attempts to harm police and civilians to maintain law and order situation, reported the Dhaka-Tribune.
