Two were killed as massive clashes broke out in several parts of Bangladesh, including capital Dhaka, after the ICT’s death penalty ruling for for ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for crimes against humanity during the students’ uprising in 2024.
Bangladesh was on the boil yet again as Awami League supporters clashed with their rivals and police following the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)’s death sentence verdict for ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for crimes against humanity during the students’ uprising last year that toppled her government.
Demonstrators blocked several highways in Dhaka as they led marches and clashed with police, who were deployed on the streets of Dhaka and elsewhere in Bangladesh in anticipation of violence following the ICT verdict. Police had to use batons, sound grenades and tear gas in a bid to disperse the protesters, according to Bangladeshi media.
Videos surfaced on social media showing demonstrators being chased by police with batons and explosions being heard as Dhaka remained tense throughout the day.
Dhanmondi 32 area, where the house of Bangladesh’s founding father and Hasina’s father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is located, remained tense as protesters attempted to march there and destroy the property, local media reported.
Supporters of the Awami League, which has been banned by the Muhammad Yunus-led interim regime for its role in the 2024 anti-government protests, clashed with their counterparts from Jatiya Chhatra Shakti, an organisation formed with the coordinators of the students’ uprising.
Ahead of the ICT verdict on Monday, the Awami League had called a two-day nationwide bandh to protest against the ruling, which has been described by Hasina as “politically motivated”.
ICT RULING AGAINST SHEIKH HASINA
The ICT found Hasina, the 78-year-old Awami League chief, currently living in exile in Delhi since her ouster on August 5 last year following massive anti-government protests, guilty on three charges: incitement to violence, issuing orders to kill protesters and failing to prevent atrocities during the student-led uprising.
Former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan was also sentenced to death, while former IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun received five years in prison after becoming a state witness and pleading guilty.
The landmark ruling, arriving months ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for early February, is expected to reshape Bangladesh’s political landscape.
A defiant Hasina called the ruling “biased, politically motivated” and issued by a “rigged tribunal with no democratic mandate”. On the other hand, Yunus praised the verdict, saying that no one, regardless of power, was above the law.
Following the verdict, Bangladesh has written to India to immediately return Hasina and Kamal for their alleged role in the deadly July crackdown on students’ protests.
In response, New Delhi said it formally took note of the ICT ruling against Hasina, adding that it “remains committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh.”
