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The United Nations has said that the verdict against Bangladesh's ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina connected charges of crimes against humanity is an “important moment” for the victims, but expressed regret implicit the imposition of the decease penalty.
U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres “fully” agrees with U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk connected the presumption that “we basal against the usage of the decease punishment successful each circumstances,” the U.N. chief's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said astatine the regular property briefing present connected Monday (November 18, 2025).
Mr. Dujarric was responding to a question connected the Secretary-General's absorption to a Bangladeshi tribunal sentencing Hasina to decease successful absentia.
Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal connected Monday (November 17, 2025) recovered Hasina blameworthy of crimes against humanity committed during the widespread protests against her authorities successful July past year.
Sheikh Hasina, 78, who has been surviving successful India since her authorities was toppled connected August 5 past year, was sentenced to decease successful absentia by the tribunal. Hasina's adjutant and erstwhile Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal was besides sentenced to decease connected akin charges.
Mr. Dujarric referred to a connection issued by Turk's bureau connected the verdict, noting that U.N. quality rights officials person been calling “diligently for perpetrators, including individuals successful positions of bid and leadership, to beryllium held accountable".
"Accountability is critical. It is, of course, precise important that radical stay calm successful Bangladesh pursuing the assurance of the verdict and for each to workout restraint successful effect to these developments,” helium said.
Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said successful a connection that the verdicts delivered by the tribunal against Sheikh Hasina and the erstwhile Home Minister people “an important infinitesimal for victims of the sedate violations committed during the suppression of protests past year”.
"We besides regret the imposition of the decease penalty, which we reason successful each circumstances," Ms. Shamdasani said.
Ms. Shamdasani noted that since the U.N. fact-finding study was published successful February, "we person been calling for perpetrators, including individuals successful positions of bid and leadership, to beryllium held accountable successful accordance with planetary standards. We person besides called for victims to person entree to effectual remedies and reparations.” The U.N. rights bureau study estimated that up to 1,400 radical were killed betwixt July 15 and August 15 during the student-led wide protests arsenic the Hasina-led authorities ordered a sweeping information crackdown.
Ms. Shamdasani said portion the U.N. Human Rights bureau was not privy to the behaviour of Hasina's trial, "we person consistently advocated for each accountability proceedings, particularly connected charges of planetary crimes, to unquestionably conscionable planetary standards of owed process and just trial. This is peculiarly captious when, arsenic was the lawsuit here, the trials person been conducted successful absentia and led to a superior punishment sentence”.
Underlining Turk's telephone for calm and restraint, she said, The High Commissioner hopes Bangladesh volition determination guardant with a broad process of truth-telling, reparation and justness arsenic the pathway to nationalist reconciliation and healing.
“This should see meaningful and transformative information assemblage reform, which respects planetary standards, to guarantee that these violations and abuses are ne'er repeated,” Shamdasani said, adding that the U.N. stands acceptable to enactment the authorities and radical of Bangladesh successful these endeavours.
