New York [US], November 18 (ANI): Human Rights Watch, a nonprofit watchdog group headquartered in New York City, has raised serious fair trial concerns after the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh handed death sentences to the country’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal for “crimes against humanity.”
They were sentenced in absentia for the violent suppression of student-led protests in 2024, amid what the rights group described as “enduring anger and anguish” over abuses during Hasina’s rule.
“There is enduring anger and anguish in Bangladesh over Hasina’s repressive rule, but all criminal proceedings need to meet international fair trial standards,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, Deputy Asia Director at Human Rights Watch. “Those responsible for horrific abuses under the Hasina administration should be held to account after impartial investigations and credible trials.”
The International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh on November 17 found Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal guilty of crimes against humanity during the violent suppression of student-led protests in 2024. Both were prosecuted in absentia, not represented by counsel of their choosing, and sentenced to death, raising serious human rights concerns. The third accused, Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, a former police chief who is in custody and served as a prosecution witness, was given a reduced sentence of five years in prison.
The Bangladeshi authorities committed serious human rights violations during the three weeks of protests in July and August 2024 that toppled the Hasina government. The protests and crackdown resulted in about 1,400 deaths, mostly protesters shot by security forces, according to a United Nations report.
While those responsible for abuses should be held accountable, the prosecution failed to meet international fair trial standards, including providing a full opportunity to present a defense, question witnesses, and have representation of one’s choosing. Trials in absentia fundamentally undermine the right to a fair trial as set out in Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
The three defendants were accused of inciting widespread and systemic attacks on protesters by security forces and supporters of Hasina’s Awami League party, and ordering the use of drones, helicopters, and lethal weapons against unarmed demonstrators. The prosecution produced 54 witnesses, including experts, victims, and family members. Evidence against Hasina included audio recordings of conversations with officials in which she appeared to order the use of lethal force.
Human Rights Watch highlighted that the tribunal did not provide adequate defense opportunities. The government-appointed defense lawyer could cross-examine witnesses but did not present counter-evidence.
Bangladesh authorities have a history of politically motivated cases, including under the Hasina government, to arbitrarily arrest, detain, or prosecute political opponents, and in some cases carry out death sentences. The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, which took charge in August 2024 after Hasina fled to India, continues to operate under similar legal frameworks.
The tribunal, created by Hasina in 2010 to prosecute crimes during Bangladesh’s 1971 independence movement, has previously failed to meet international fair trial standards and imposed the death penalty. Human Rights Watch opposes the death penalty in all circumstances.
The Yunus government amended the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act in November 2024 to align more closely with the ICC’s Rome Statute. However, further amendments in 2025 gave the tribunal broad authority to prosecute and dismantle political organizations, raising concerns over due process and freedom of association.
In the Hasina trial verdict, the tribunal ordered the confiscation of Hasina and Khan’s properties to compensate victims. Hasina faces three additional cases, including two relating to enforced disappearances during her rule and one relating to mass killings in 2013.
Human Rights Watch urged the Bangladeshi government to ensure the fundamental rights of the accused, including access to constitutional remedies, a moratorium on the death penalty, and adherence to international fair trial standards. The interim government, which plans elections in February 2026, should also seek international assistance to guarantee fair trials.
Following the verdicts, Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry requested India to extradite Hasina and Khan under a bilateral agreement. Human Rights Watch emphasized that extradition should only proceed if legal proceedings in India meet due process standards and ensure protection against the death penalty.
“Victims of grave rights violations committed under the Hasina government need justice and reparations through proceedings that are genuinely independent and fair,” Ganguly said. “Ensuring justice also means protecting the rights of the accused, including by abolishing the death penalty, which is inherently cruel and irreversible.”
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