Death penalty sought for ex-Bangladesh leader Sheikh Hasina

Bangladesh proesecutors are seeking the death penalty for ex-leader Sheikh Hasina, who has fled to India, over a crackdown on protests last year.

Transcript

00:00Prosecutors in Bangladesh are seeking the death penalty for former Prime Minister

00:05Sheikh Hasina over a deadly crackdown on student-led protests last year.

00:10Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam says the ex-leader deserves 1,400 death sentences,

00:17one for each person killed during the weeks of unrest that led to her ouster.

00:24Hasina, who fled to India, is on trial for crimes against humanity.

00:29A leaked audio clip allegedly captured her,

00:32ordering security forces to use lethal weapons against protesters.

00:37She has denied all charges.

00:39The protests began in July 2024 over civil service job quotas for relatives of veterans

00:45from the 1971 War of Independence, but escalated into a movement to overthrow Hasina.

00:52It marked the worst violence in Bangladesh since the war and ended Hasina's 15-year rule.

00:58The next general elections are scheduled for February,

01:01with Hasina's rival party, the BNP, seen as the front-runner.