Bangladesh’s Awami League announces a nationwide shutdown after the International Crimes Tribunal delivers a controversial death sentence against former PM Sheikh Hasina. The party condemns the verdict as illegal, politically motivated, and part of a conspiracy by the interim government.
Bangladesh’s political landscape plunged into deeper turmoil on Monday after the ruling Awami League called for a nationwide shutdown on Tuesday, rejecting what it described as an “illegal” and “farcical” verdict delivered by the country’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The party also announced a series of demonstrations and protests from November 19 to 21 across the nation, urging citizens to mobilize against the judgement, which it claims was orchestrated by an “unelected and illegitimate” interim government.
The political crisis reached a boiling point after the ICT handed down a death sentence to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, accusing her of “crimes against humanity” linked to widespread protests and clashes that erupted during the volatile period of July 2024. Alongside Hasina, the tribunal also convicted two of her close associates—former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who also received a death sentence, and former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who was sentenced to five years in prison after turning state witness.
The tribunal’s ruling immediately sparked intense backlash from the Awami League, which issued a strongly worded statement denouncing the judgement as politically motivated, unlawful, and designed to undermine Bangladesh’s democratic institutions. “An illegal verdict has been delivered today against the Honorable Prime Minister, Bangabandhu’s daughter Sheikh Hasina, and others through a farcical trial conducted by the illegal ICT Tribunal, established by the illegal usurper, killer–fascist Yunus and his associates,” the statement said.
The party further alleged that the tribunal was formed without constitutional legitimacy by the interim administration led by Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, who assumed control after months of political upheaval. “This verdict has been prepared by trampling upon the laws and legal system of Bangladesh. It was premeditated—a scheme to take revenge for the trials of anti-humanity war criminals. Therefore, despite failing to prove charges and crimes, this verdict has been issued,” the Awami League added.
Accusing anti-state and anti-independence groups of conspiring to dismantle the ideals of the Liberation War, the party urged citizens to reject the tribunal’s findings and resist what they described as an assault on Bangladesh’s sovereignty and democratic fabric. “The people of Bengal will not accept this, and we strongly reject the verdict given by this illegal tribunal,” the party said.
Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also issued a scathing response shortly after the ruling. In her statement, she alleged that the verdict stemmed from a “rigged tribunal” overseen by an unelected interim government lacking democratic legitimacy. Hasina asserted that the judgement was not only biased but also part of a broader campaign to eliminate both her leadership and the Awami League as a political force.
“In their distasteful call for the death penalty, they reveal the brazen and murderous intent of extremist figures within the interim government to remove Bangladesh’s last elected Prime Minister, and to nullify the Awami League as a political force,” Hasina said.
She further accused the interim government of manipulating legal processes to divert attention from its own failures. “Millions of Bangladeshis toiling under the chaotic, violent, and socially-regressive administration of Dr. Muhammad Yunus will not be fooled by this attempt to short-change them of their democratic rights,” she said.
Hasina added that the ICT’s trials were never intended to uncover truth or deliver justice regarding the events of July and August 2025, but were instead crafted to “scapegoat the Awami League” and distract international observers from the shortcomings of the interim administration.
Political analysts warn that the ongoing standoff may plunge the nation into prolonged instability if dialogue does not resume between major political factions. With both the Awami League and the interim government digging in their heels, Bangladesh faces a period of uncertainty that may impact its governance, economy, and regional diplomatic standing.
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As the Awami League mobilizes nationwide strikes and protests, authorities are preparing for heightened tensions across major cities, raising fears of unrest in the coming days. For now, the country watches closely as one of the most intense political confrontations in recent years continues to unfold.
