Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to life imprisonment on three charges, as per the court order, while she has been sentenced to death for using deadly weapons and ordering murders of protesters. 

The ruling comes months ahead of parliamentary elections expected to be held in early February.

Hasina’s Awami League party has been barred from contesting, and it is feared that Monday’s verdict could stoke fresh unrest ahead of the vote.

The International Crimes Tribunal, Bangladesh’s domestic war crimes court located in the capital Dhaka, delivered the guilty verdict amid tight security and in Hasina’s absence after she fled to India in August 2024.

According to details, the International Crimes Tribunal convicted Hasina over last year’s deadly crackdown on anti-government protests. The former premier, currently living in exile in India, was tried in absentia. The court issued a 453-page verdict, delivered amid heavy security outside the courthouse.

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The tribunal ruled that detaining citizens without legal grounds constituted a criminal act, forming the basis of the charges against Hasina. She was sentenced alongside her former interior minister and police chief.

The 78-year-old leader was accused of being the “mastermind” behind the violent suppression of mass demonstrations triggered by a disputed government job quota system. The protests left an estimated 1,400 people dead, with the tribunal stating she ordered security forces to fire on crowds.

The court said the accused failed to prevent or stop the use of lethal force. Hasina has denied all charges, while UN reports say hundreds were killed in the crackdown. Among the accused, only former police chief Abdullah al-Mamun was present during sentencing.

The verdict can be appealed in the Supreme Court.