Why Was Bangladesh’s Ex-Home Minister Asaduzzaman Kamal Sentenced to Death Alongside Sheikh Hasina?
Bangladesh tribunal sentences ex-PM Sheikh Hasina and former Home Minister to death over 2024 protests.
The special tribunal in Bangladesh has sentenced ex-Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death on charges of crimes against humanity. The verdict, delivered by a three-judge panel of the country’s International Crimes Tribunal, stems from allegations that the leaders ordered a violent crackdown on student protesters in 2024, resulting in over 1,400 deaths, according to estimates from the United Nations Human Rights Office.
The tribunal accused the two leaders of sponsoring state-led violence to quell widespread demonstrations over government job quota reforms. The court said armed forces under their command used “maximum force” against the protesters, a directive reportedly issued by Kamal on Hasina’s behalf. Both Hasina and Kamal have fled Bangladesh; Hasina is believed to be residing in New Delhi, while Kamal’s whereabouts remain unknown. The ruling marks one of the most dramatic turns in Bangladesh’s political history, further destabilising the country’s already fragile political climate.
Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who served as Home Minister during Hasina’s final term, is also facing corruption and money laundering charges. Reports from the Border Guard Bangladesh submitted to the UN Human Rights Office allege that Kamal personally authorised aggressive suppression measures against the “Students Against Discrimination” movement that led the 2024 protests. In addition to the crimes against humanity charges, he has been indicted in a separate murder case linked to the death of a grocer during the protests.
A veteran of Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War, Kamal had joined the Awami League and served in the Parliamentary Standing Committee between 2009 and 2013. He has denied all charges, calling the tribunal’s proceedings politically motivated and lacking transparency. “Everything is fake; this is a conspiracy hatched to take revenge for what happened in 1971,” Kamal said in an interview with CNBC-TV18. He claimed that the Chief Justice prepared the judgment without due process and alleged that “digital evidence” was manipulated using artificial intelligence.
The International Crimes Tribunal, originally established by Hasina’s government to prosecute 1971 war offenders, has now become the stage for her own political downfall. Hasina, ousted from office in 2024 after student protests snowballed into a nationwide movement, faces multiple international arrest warrants. The death sentence against her and Kamal has deepened tensions in Bangladesh, where the interim government under Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has pledged to hold fresh elections amid continued protests and diplomatic unease.
Also Read: Bangladesh Court Hands Sheikh Hasina Death Sentence in Explosive 453-Page Verdict
