Web Desk, October 17, 2025
Dhaka: Bangladesh’s public prosecutor has demanded the death penalty for 78-year-old former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a trial accusing her of ordering the crackdown on 2024 protests.
Sheikh Hasina is being tried in absentia for crimes against humanity related to the suppression of demonstrations, during which government actions led to the deaths of hundreds of people.
Public Prosecutor Tajul Islam told the court, “We are demanding the maximum punishment. Death penalty is routine for simple murders; for 1,400 killings, she deserves 1,400 hangings. She is a hardened criminal who has shown no remorse for her brutality, with her sole aim being to remain in power permanently.”
Bangladesh anticipates that the Dhaka court will deliver its verdict on Sheikh Hasina’s charges of crimes against humanity in the coming weeks. Hasina had ruled the country for 15 years and was forced to step down in August 2024 amid student-led anti-government protests.
According to United Nations figures, at least 1,400 people were killed during the unrest, most of them at the hands of security forces.
The former prime minister has been living in exile in neighboring India since her ouster. Bangladeshi courts have issued several arrest warrants for Sheikh Hasina, but India has so far refused to enforce them.
In a statement issued in June at the start of the trial, Hasina’s Awami League party condemned the proceedings as a “sham” and categorically rejected all allegations against her.
