'Fake, fabricated, one-day justice': Reactions pour in as Sheikh Hasina sentenced to death

Hasina death sentence sparks reactions

Outcry erupted across Bangladesh following the death sentence handed to ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by a special tribunal on charges of crimes against humanity linked to last year’s student-led uprising.

According to CNN News18, sources close to Hasina denounced the ruling as “fake, fabricated, and one-day justice,” claiming that no evidence exists on record and that witnesses were summoned merely for verification. They warned that the country risks being pushed towards complete radicalisation, alleging that President Yunus is acting as a puppet and that radicals, backed by terror groups, now wield significant influence. Hasina herself, tried in absentia while in exile in India, called the tribunal a “kangaroo court” and criticised the appointment of a state lawyer to represent her. Her Awami League party has called for a nationwide shutdown in protest of the verdict.

In stark contrast, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami welcomed the tribunal’s ruling. Party leader Mia Golam Parwar described Monday as “an important day for Bangladesh” and paid tribute to the martyrs of the July 2024 student agitation, calling their sacrifice pivotal in the nation’s recent political history.

The tribunal’s decision, broadcast live from Dhaka, prompted the interim government to deploy soldiers, paramilitary border guards and police across the capital and other regions. The verdict has sharply intensified political polarisation in Bangladesh, with supporters of Hasina condemning the court and opposition groups hailing the decision as a historic act of justice.