Dhaka: Bangladesh’s former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has lost her chance to appeal a death sentence handed down for crimes against humanity, the country’s chief prosecutor confirmed on Monday. The 30 day window for filing an appeal has now closed, leaving the verdict in place unless the government chooses to intervene.
“Those sentenced to death by the court, including Sheikh Hasina, who have not appealed within 30 days of the verdict, will no longer have the opportunity to do so,” prosecutor Md Aminul Islam told reporters. With the deadline passed, he added, “what is left is the execution of the verdict.”
Hasina was sentenced to death last November by the International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka. The court found her responsible for crimes against humanity and for ordering a brutal crackdown during the 2024 uprising that eventually forced her from power. According to the United Nations, at least 1,400 people were killed and thousands more injured when security forces and supporters of her Awami League party moved to suppress the protests, according to Anadolu.
The former leader is not in Bangladesh. She fled the country during the unrest and has been living in self-imposed exile in neighbouring India. Despite the sentence, she has vowed to return home in December, a promise that now casts a long shadow over the country’s political future.
While the legal path for an appeal appears closed, the prosecutor noted that the government retains broad authority to alter the outcome. “The government has the absolute inherent power to suspend or cancel any punishment,” he said, leaving open the possibility of clemency or a stay of execution.
The case marks a dramatic turn for a leader who once dominated Bangladeshi politics. For many, the verdict represents a measure of justice for victims of the crackdown. For others, it raises questions about stability, reconciliation, and what comes next in a nation still grappling with the aftermath of upheaval.
As the deadline expires and the sentence stands, attention now turns to Dhaka’s next move and to whether Hasina’s promised return will ever come to pass.
