New Delhi – A prominent analyst is criticizing the recent court verdict against ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, calling the trial "unfair" and a "political farce". Suhas Chakma, Director of the Rights & Risks Analysis Group (RRAG), has strongly condemned the proceedings that led to Hasina's conviction on charges of crimes against humanity.
On Monday, November 17, 2025, a Bangladesh court convicted Sheikh Hasina, who has been in exile in India since being ousted in August 2024, of crimes against humanity for ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising last year. The International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT) sentenced Hasina to death. Former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, also a fugitive, received the death sentence as well, while former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who testified against Hasina, was sentenced to five years in prison.
Chakma argues that the trial, conducted in absentia, violates international human rights standards, which maintain the accused has a right to be present and heard. He pointed out that the Bangladesh government did not pursue standard legal procedures to seek Hasina's extradition from India. Chakma stated that if the Bangladesh government possessed legitimate evidence, it could have petitioned the Supreme Court of India for Hasina's extradition, similar to how India has fought for the extradition of individuals like Abu Salem from Portugal and Mehul Choksi from Belgium. Instead, he alleges, the interim government opted for a "kangaroo court trial".
The charges against Hasina include the killings of a student near Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur and multiple protesters in Dhaka and Ashulia last year. Chakma questioned how the former Prime Minister could be charged without the actual perpetrators being named in the chargesheet. He also contested Al-Mamun's role as an approver, stating he was not present at the crime scenes.
Furthermore, Chakma's organization, the RRAG, has objected to the tribunal's reliance on reports from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, and the BBC. He asserted that such reports should not be treated as evidence without witness testimony and corroboration, particularly in cases involving the death penalty. Chakma stated there was no testimony or cross-examination of the authors of these reports.
Hasina herself has denounced the verdict and death sentence as "biased and politically motivated". She claimed the tribunal was rigged and presided over by an unelected government without a democratic mandate. The UN human rights office, while acknowledging the importance of the sentencing for the victims, stated that Hasina should not have been sentenced to death.
The interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who was appointed by protest leaders last year, had made the prosecution of Hasina a core promise. Mohammad Tajul Islam was appointed chief prosecutor to build the case.
The verdict has sparked widespread disruptions in Bangladesh, with the Awami League protesting Hasina's trial, causing transportation halts and closure of educational institutions nationwide. Meanwhile, families of those killed in the 2024 uprising have expressed a sense of relief and catharsis following the verdict.
