On November 17, 2025, a special tribunal in Dhaka sentenced Bangladesh’s former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to death in absentia for crimes against humanity, saying she ordered a deadly crackdown on protesters during the 2024 uprising. The court linked her to violence that killed an estimated 1,400 people.
Hasina served as for more than 20 years across two stretches in office, making her the country’s longest-serving leader. Her rule ended abruptly on August 5, 2024, when she resigned and fled to India after a student-led uprising swept the country.
A separate set of corruption cases followed soon after. On November 27, 2025, she was sentenced to 21 years in prison across three land-related corruption cases. The UN welcomed accountability for victims but said the death penalty was the wrong punishment.
Self-imposed exile
Hasina remains in self-imposed exile in India, while Bangladesh’s interim government continues to seek her extradition. India has not publicly acted on those requests.
In January 2026, Hasina re-emerged with warnings that Bangladesh was sliding toward “radical Islamic extremism,” reflecting her continued attempt to shape the political narrative from abroad.
Family members hit
The legal and political fallout has also reached her relatives. Her niece, Tulip Siddiq, stepped down as the UK’s minister for financial services and anti-corruption after scrutiny over links to Hasina’s circle, and she later faced conviction in absentia in Bangladesh over a land-allocation case.
Hasina’s daughter, Saima Wazed Putul, has also been placed on indefinite leave from her WHO regional post after Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission filed fraud- and forgery-related charges against her.
What comes next
After Hasina’s ouster, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was named chief adviser of the interim government. National elections are scheduled for February 2026, though the Awami League remains barred from political activity.
The new central bank leadership has also opened investigations into the alleged theft of billions from Bangladesh’s banking system under Hasina’s rule, adding another layer to the broader reckoning over her legacy.
Bangladesh will move forward with a comprehensive process of truth-telling, reparation and justice as the pathway to national reconciliation and healing.
UN rights chief Volker Turk
Read more: Bangladesh’s central bank investigates loss of billions
