Dhaka, Nov 17 — Bangladesh’s Awami League has announced a nationwide shutdown on Tuesday and countrywide demonstrations from November 19 to 21, rejecting what it termed an “illegal” verdict delivered by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her two aides.
The ICT on Monday sentenced Hasina to death after finding her guilty of “crimes against humanity” linked to the July 2024 demonstrations. Former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal also received the death penalty, while former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun—who turned state witness—was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.
In a strongly worded statement, the Awami League said the judgment was the outcome of a “farcical trial” conducted by an “illegal tribunal” established by the interim government of Muhammad Yunus. The party alleged the verdict was “premeditated” and intended to take revenge for past war-crimes trials, claiming that charges were not proven.
Calling the ruling a conspiracy by “anti-state and anti-independence forces,” the Awami League asserted that the people would not accept the judgement.
Former PM Hasina, reacting separately, described the ICT as a “rigged tribunal” lacking democratic legitimacy. She said the verdict was politically motivated, aimed at eliminating the Awami League and diverting attention from the interim government’s failures.
