Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh’s former long-time leader, was sentenced to death on Monday over her role in a government crackdown last year that killed an estimated 1,400 people and saw thousands more injured and imprisoned.
Hasina, who ruled Bangladesh with an “iron fist” from 2009–24, was sentenced in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka, which found her guilty of incitement, order to kill, and inaction to prevent atrocities.
Last year’s ‘July Revolution’ in Bangladesh initially targeted a controversial government-job quota system but morphed into a broader protest against economic stagnation, rampant corruption, and Hasina’s “dictatorial” policies. Following five weeks of the student-led protests, Hasina fled to India, where she continues to live in a safehouse.
Monday’s ruling could provide some closure to the families of the victims of Hasina’s crackdown. But it could also trigger more violent clashes between Hasina’s supporters and critics and fray Bangladesh–India ties.
Hasina rejects verdict
Hasina called the ruling "biased and politically motivated.” She said that “[...] to characterize what happened as a premeditated assault on citizens is simply to misread the facts."
A February UN report found that Hasina’s government, in concert with “violent elements” associated with her Awami League party, “systematically engaged in serious human rights violations, including hundreds of extrajudicial killings, extensive arbitrary arrest and detention, and torture.”
Bangladesh's interim government banned the Awami League in May. This week, Hasina’s son threatened that, if the government didn’t lift the ban before Bangladesh's February 2026 election, there would be “confrontations,” pledging to do “whatever it takes” to get back on the ballot.
A recent poll of 10,413 eligible Bangladeshi voters found that 30.7 per cent of voters are undecided, while 18.7 per cent support the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which acted as the main opposition to Hasina. A further 8.5 per cent said they’d vote for the Awami League.
New Delhi resists extradition, for now
Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, said the verdict shows that “no one, regardless of power, is above the law.” Yunus has requested Hasina’s extradition, but India has so far failed to comply.
On Tuesday, India’s external affairs ministry took note of the sentencing, adding that “India remains committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh.” A letter sent by Bangladesh’s foreign ministry to New Delhi argued that “providing refuge to [Hasina]... would be a highly unfriendly act and a disregard for justice.”
Hasina’s extradition remains unlikely in the short term. There is a bilateral extradition treaty in place, signed in 2013 under Hasina herself. Extraditions can be refused, however, in the case of “offences of a political character,” which aligns with Hasina’s characterization. (Amnesty International also called her trial and sentence “neither fair nor just.”)
International pressure could force New Delhi to eventually give Hasina up. India may also be more likely to extradite Hasina if a stable, democratically elected government comes to power after Bangladesh’s February election.
Ottawa has yet to release a statement regarding Hasina’s death sentence; Yunus has also yet to meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Two Liberal MPs, however, visited Bangladesh last week and met with Yunus, discussing trade and other issues. Additionally, Canada’s Indo-Pacific Trade Representative, Paul Thoppil, led a business delegation to Dhaka in May 2025.
