packed chamber showed spectators rising to their feet, clapping as judges read the sentence against the 78-year-old former leader, who was tried in absentia. Hasina has been living in exile in India since her government was toppled in August 2024. Hasina found guilty of ordering lethal force The tribunal ruled that Hasina acted as the “mastermind and principal architect” behind the deadly suppression of mass demonstrations that erupted in mid-2024 over a controversial government job quota system. Prosecutors said they uncovered evidence showing Hasina directly instructed security forces to use live ammunition against unarmed student protesters in an attempt to crush what became a nationwide uprising. “This was a systematic and intentional attack against civilians,” prosecutors said, calling the crackdown “one of the darkest episodes in Bangladesh’s contemporary history.” Worst violence since 1971 A United Nations investigation found that between July 15 and August 5, 2024, as many as 1,400 people were killed, most of them by gunfire. Thousands more were injured. The UN described the three-week span as the worst violence in Bangladesh since the 1971 Liberation War, with hospitals overwhelmed, curfews imposed, and entire neighbourhoods turning into battlegrounds. The uprising eventually led to the collapse of Hasina’s 15-year rule, long criticised for authoritarian governance, enforced disappearances, and repression of political opposition. Months-long trial concludes with death sentence The special tribunal’s judgment comes after months of proceedings, during which hundreds of witnesses testified and thousands of pages of evidence were submitted. Hasina’s two co-accused — the former home minister and former police chief — also face sentencing in related charges. The verdict marks a dramatic reversal for Hasina, who originally created and expanded the International Crimes Tribunal in 2010 to try figures accused of atrocities during the 1971 war. Rights groups had long accused her of using the tribunal to target political rivals — a process many now see turned against her. Nation on edge as unrest spreads Bangladesh has been tense for days ahead of the ruling. Authorities reported at least 30 crude bomb explosions and 26 vehicles torched across the country since the weekend. Security forces have been deployed in major cities amid fears of further violence — particularly from Hasina’s still-significant support base, despite her Awami League party being officially banned. Analysts warn that the death sentence could deepen political divisions and trigger new waves of unrest as Bangladesh prepares for elections next year.