Death penalty sought for Bangladesh’s fugitive ex-leader

Prosecutors in Bangladesh have demanded that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina be put to death over a deadly crackdown on student-led protests last year that ousted her from power.

Hasina, who has 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 protesters. She denies the charges.

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 its 1971 war of independence.

Chief prosecutor Tajul Islam said Hasina deserves 1,400 death sentences. “Since that is not humanly possible, we demand at least one,” he said.

“[Hasina’s] goal was to cling to power permanently, for herself and her family,” Islam told the court on Thursday.

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

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

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

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

Hasina’s state-appointed defence lawyer argues that the police were forced to open fire in response to violent actions from the protesters.

Hasina is being tried alongside her ex-interior minister, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun.

Prosecutors have sought the death penalty for Kamal, who is also in hiding. Chowdhury pleaded guilty in July but has not been handed a sentence.

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

Bangladesh is due hold its next elections in February, which will see Hasina’s rival party BNP as frontrunner in the vote. Her party Awami League has been banned from all activities, including participating in elections.