A panel of three judges from the International Tribunal for Crimes, a specialized court in Bangladesh, found Hasina guilty of inciting the murder of protesters carried out by security forces.
She is also charged with orders to use firearms, as well as the use of drones and helicopters to suppress protests. Sheikh Hasina denies all charges. Along with her, the former Minister of Home Affairs and the Chief of Police were also convicted, according to information from the BBC.
Sheikh Hasina served as Prime Minister from 1996 to 2001 and again since 2009. In August 2024, she resigned and left the country amid mass protests that escalated into violence. She is currently in India.
Student protests in Bangladesh began over a quota system that provided 30% of jobs in the public sector for relatives of participants in the war for independence from Pakistan. Despite the abolition of most quotas, protesters continued their actions, demanding an end to the violence. In August 2024, they set fire to the office of the Awami League party in the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, vandalized the residences of Sheikh Hasina and the Minister of Home Affairs, and seized the parliament building. According to the UN Human Rights Office, up to 1,400 people died during 46 days of protests.
