Sheikh Hasina

Former PM Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to death. The International Crimes Tribunals (ICT) of Bangladesh gave this verdict on five charges including crimes against humanity. Two top aides of Hasina, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chaudhry Abdullah Al-Mamun have also been sentenced. Asaduzzaman Khan has been sentenced to death and former IGP Abdullah Al-Mamun has been sentenced to 5 years in prison. Mamun is in custody and has become a government witness.

How is the death penalty given?

According to the Criminal Procedure Code 1898 in Bangladesh, a person sentenced to death is hanged. He is hanged by the neck until he dies. Hanging is the only way to give death penalty. In Bangladesh, death penalty is not given by shooting, electric shock or lethal injection.

In which crimes is the death penalty awarded?

The penal laws of Bangladesh provide for death penalty for 33 crimes. These include murder, waging war against the state, assisting in insurgency, suicide by assistance of a child, attempted murder of a child, kidnapping, terrorism-related offences, rape (added in 2020), death by acid attack and serious drug-related offences.

In many Muslim countries, death penalty is given by shooting, stoning, beheading etc.

how many hangings have been carried out

According to a report, at least 101 people have been hanged in Bangladesh since 1991. There were 11 hangings between 1991 and 2000, 5 between 2001 and 2010 and 33 after 2011. 30 executions were carried out between 2013 and 2023. Most of these cases were cases of murder, terrorism and war crimes related to the 1971 liberation war. According to Amnesty International report, 13 executions were carried out in Bangladesh between 2018 and 2022, while 912 convicts were sentenced to death.

Hasina had laid the foundation of the tribunal

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) was established to investigate and try war crimes committed during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. It was founded by Hasina herself on 25 March 2010. The tribunal has sentenced several leaders to death for war crimes related to the liberation war, including several senior leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

57 decisions were given in 15 years, 6 were hanged

On January 21, 2013, the tribunal gave its first verdict in the case of Abul Kalam Azad. Azad, also known as Bachchu Rajakar, was given death sentence in his absence. The tribunal gave 57 decisions in about 15 years. During this time, 6 people were hanged after completing all the legal procedures.

These included Jamaat-e-Islami leaders Abdul Quader Mollah, Muhammad Kamruzzaman, Mir Qasem Ali, Ali Ahsan Mujahid, Motiur Rehman Nizami and BNP leader Salahuddin Quader Chaudhary.

What is the procedure for appealing against a decision?

Bangladesh’s legal system guarantees that anyone sentenced to death can appeal to the High Court. After that a review appeal can be made in the Supreme Court. If the review appeal is rejected, the decision becomes final.

An appeal can be filed in the Bangladesh Supreme Court against the decision of ICT. The Constitution allows people to seek pardon from the President of Bangladesh. If the President rejects the pardon application, the death order is carried out.

Hasina’s statement on death penalty

after the court decision beautiful lady His party Awami League issued his statement. Hasina said that the decisions given against me were given by a rigged tribunal, which was run by an unelected and without public opinion government. These decisions are partisan and politically motivated. By demanding the death penalty, some extremists in the interim government have made it clear that they want to remove the last elected Prime Minister of Bangladesh and eliminate the Awami League as a political force.