Dhaka, Nov 17 (NationPress) The Awami League in Bangladesh has announced a nationwide shutdown for Tuesday while planning protests and demonstrations from November 19 to 21 across the country, vehemently rejecting the “unlawful” verdict issued by the so-called International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) following a “mock trial” against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and two others.

This call for a shutdown and nationwide protests was made shortly after the ICT sentenced the former Prime Minister to death on Monday, charging her with “crimes against humanity” linked to events from July 2024.

The ICT also found two of Hasina's senior aides guilty, handing down a death sentence to former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and a five-year prison term to former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who testified for the state.

The Awami League stated, “An unlawful verdict has been passed against the Honorable Prime Minister, daughter of Bangabandhu Sheikh Hasina, and others through a mock trial run by the illegal ICT Tribunal, created by the usurper, killer-fascist Yunus and his allies. This verdict is a violation of Bangladesh’s laws and legal framework, stemming from a premeditated scheme to retaliate against the trials of anti-humanity war criminals. Thus, despite the lack of credible evidence of crimes, this verdict was rendered.”

The statement continued, “This is a blatant conspiracy orchestrated by anti-state and anti-independence factions to undermine the vision of Bangladesh as conceived during the Liberation War. The people of Bengal will not accept this, and we categorically reject the ruling from this illegitimate tribunal.”

In response to the contentious ICT judgement, Hasina alleged that the verdict arose from a “rigged tribunal”, presided over by the unelected interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, which lacks democratic legitimacy. She denounced the ruling as politically charged and biased.

Former PM Hasina remarked, “Their shocking call for the death penalty reveals the murderous intent of extremist elements within the interim government to eliminate Bangladesh’s last democratically elected Prime Minister and undermine the Awami League as a political entity. The millions of Bangladeshis suffering under the chaotic and violent administration of Dr. Mohammad Yunus will not be deceived by this attempt to rob them of their democratic rights. They understand that the trials conducted by the so-called ICT were never about achieving justice or clarity regarding the events of July and August 2025, but rather aimed at scapegoating the Awami League and diverting attention from the failures of Dr. Yunus and his government.”