Death penalty sought for fugitive ex-Bangladesh leader

Prosecutors in Bangladesh have called for former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to be sentenced to death for the deadly crackdown on student-led protests last year that ousted her.

Hasina, who fled to India, is on trial for crimes against humanity. According to a leaked audio clip, she ordered security forces to “use lethal weapons” against the protesters. She denies the allegations.

Up to 1,400 people were killed in weeks of unrest that ended Hasina’s 15-year rule. It was the worst violence Bangladesh had seen since the 1971 war of independence.

Attorney General Tajul Islam said Hasina deserved 1,400 death sentences. “Since this is not humanly possible, we require at least one,” he said.

“(Hasina’s) aim was to cling to power forever, for herself and her family,” Islam told the court on Thursday.

“She has become a hardened criminal and shows no remorse for the brutality she has committed,” he said.

The protests began in July 2024 against the job quotas in the civil service for relatives of those who fought in the 1971 war but soon escalated into a mass movement to oust Hasina.

Some of the bloodiest scenes took place on August 5on the day Hasina fled by helicopter before mobs stormed her Dhaka residence, a BBC investigation found.

Police killed at least 52 people that day in a busy Dhaka neighborhood, making it one of the worst cases of police violence in Bangladesh’s history.

Hasina’s state-appointed defense lawyer argued that police were forced to open fire in response to violent actions by protesters.

Hasina is on trial along with her former interior minister Asaduzaman Khan Kamal and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamoon.

Prosecutors sought the death penalty for Kamal, who is also absconding. Chowdhury pleaded guilty in July but was not sentenced.

Hasina has already been sentenced to six months in prison for contempt of court and separately faces corruption charges.

Bangladesh must hold their own the next election in Februarywhich will see Hasina’s rival BNP party as the favorite in the vote. Her Awami League party has been banned from all activities, including contesting elections.