Sheikh Hasina's Timeline: From Bangladesh PM to Death Sentence for Crimes Against Humanity

Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity.

New Delhi:

The downfall of Bangladesh's former prime minister Sheikh Hasina began with a student-led uprising on August 5 last year, initiating a sequence of events that ultimately resulted in her conviction and death sentence in absentia on Monday by the International Crimes Tribunal-Bangladesh (ICT-BD).

Below is the chronology of events that unfolded over 15 tumultuous months following Hasina's removal from power, culminating in her death sentence.

August 5, 2024: Sheikh Hasina is overthrown as prime minister after a widespread student-led uprising. She escapes to India.

Aug 8, 2024: An interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus is established.

Aug 14, 2024: The interim government announces plans to prosecute those involved in killings during the student movement through the International Crimes Tribunal-Bangladesh (ICT-BD).

October 2024: The interim government restructures ICT-BD.

Oct 17, 2024: ICT-BD issues arrest warrants for deposed prime minister Hasina and 45 others, including senior Awami League leaders, related to alleged crimes against humanity.

Nov 2024: The three-member ICT-BD led by Golam Mortuza Majumdar directs investigators to finish their investigation by December 2024.

February 2025: UN fact-finding report determines approximately 1,400 people were killed during the protests.

June 1, 2025: The trial officially begins. Prosecutors present the case as coordinated and systematic violence against unarmed civilians.

June 19, 2025: ICT appoints former Supreme Court judge AY Moshiuzzaman as amicus curiae for Hasina's defense.

July 2, 2025: Hasina receives a six-month imprisonment sentence in absentia for contempt of court.

July 10, 2025: ICT formally charges Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun with five counts of crimes against humanity, including mass killings.

August 3, 2025: The tribunal begins the trial of Hasina in absentia along with her two aides for alleged crimes against humanity.

Oct 23, 2025: The tribunal concludes the hearing in the case.

Nov 13, 2025: The tribunal schedules Nov 17 to announce the verdict.

Nov 17, 2025: ICT-BD convicts and sentences Hasina and former home minister Kamal to death in absentia for crimes against humanity, while Mamun, who became a state witness, receives a five-year imprisonment sentence in the case.