Muscat – Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal has sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death for crimes against humanity linked to last year’s violent crackdown on student-led protests that left an estimated 1,400 people dead.

Hasina, 78, was tried in absentia after fleeing to India following the unrest. Prosecutors described her as the “mastermind and principal architect” of the suppression of mass demonstrations that began over allegations of government excesses.

The court also handed death sentences to former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former police chief Abdullah al-Mamun. Of the three, only al-Mamun was present in court for the verdict.

Live footage from the courtroom showed brief applause and cheering as the sentence against Hasina was read out. A small group of people outside chanted calls for the guilty to be hanged before judges ordered calm and reminded those inside to maintain decorum.

The tribunal ruled that Hasina and her former ministers permitted the use of lethal force and failed to prevent atrocities committed by security forces as the protests escalated. The UN has said hundreds of people were killed during the clampdown, while rights groups have described the response as disproportionate.

Hasina has denied all charges, calling the case politically motivated. She has been living in exile in India since the end of the protests.

The court read out the charges in full, outlining the scale of the violence and the chain of command that prosecutors said allowed security forces to act with impunity.

Sentencing procedures for the remaining defendants are expected to continue.

Agencies