A Bangladesh court sentenced ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death on Monday, concluding a months-long trial that found her guilty of ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising last year.
Bangladesh heightened security nationwide on Monday amid outbreaks of violence ahead of a verdict in a case against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina over her government’s crackdown on mass protests last year, officials said.
Hasina and two other aides – former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan and former police chief Abdullah al Mamun – are accused of crimes against humanity for the violent suppression of the uprising, which ultimately ended her 15-year rule.
During closing arguments last month, the prosecution sought the death penalty for Hasina, who is now in exile in India.
State-run Bangladesh Television will broadcast the verdict live, said prosecutor Gazi Manowar Hossain Tamim.
In protest, Hasina’s political party, the Awami League – which was banned by the interim administration – has called a two-day nationwide lockdown. The party has denounced the trial as a farcical and politically motivated proceeding.
The tense situation was marked by reports of crude bomb explosions, arson attacks on buses and businesses, and torch-lit processions in various locations, including the capital, on Sunday night.
Explosions also occurred outside the residence of a government adviser who holds ministerial rank, police said.
