Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was on Monday sentenced to death after a special tribunal found her guilty of crimes against humanity, accusing her of ordering a brutal crackdown on student-led protests.
That toppled her government in August 2024. Delivering the verdict in absentia, the court said Hasina had “incited attacks” on students.
The judgment marks a severe escalation in Bangladesh’s deepening political crisis, months ahead of national elections expected in February 2026. Across countries and eras, several former heads of state have faced similar capital sentences — some carried out, others overturned or commuted.
Former Leaders Who Faced Death Sentences
Saddam Hussein (Iraq):
Executed by hanging in 2006 after being convicted of crimes against humanity.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (Pakistan):
Hanged in 1979 following a controversial conviction for conspiracy to commit murder.
Mohammad Najibullah (Afghanistan):
Captured and publicly executed by the Taliban in 1996 after being ousted from power.
Amir-Abbas Hoveyda (Iran):
Executed in 1979 after the Islamic Revolution, following a rapid trial.
Hideki Tojo (Japan):
Japan’s wartime prime minister was executed in 1948 after being found guilty of war crimes.
Benito Mussolini (Italy):
Captured and shot dead by Italian partisans in 1945 during the final days of World War II.
Georgios Papadopoulos (Greece):
Sentenced to death for high treason after the fall of the military junta; the punishment was later commuted to life imprisonment.
Chun Doo-hwan (South Korea):
Received a death sentence in 1996 for his role in a coup and the Gwangju massacre, later reduced and eventually pardoned.
Philippe Pétain (France):
Sentenced to death for collaborating with Nazi Germany; later commuted due to age and military record.
Pervez Musharraf (Pakistan):
Given a death sentence in 2019 for high treason, though the ruling was subsequently annulled.
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