A special tribunal sentenced Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death on charges of crimes against humanity for her crackdown on a student uprising last year that killed hundreds of people and led to the toppling of her 15-year rule.

The Dhaka-based International Crimes Tribunal also sentenced former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan to death for his involvement in the use of deadly force against protesters.

Both Hasina and Khan fled to India last year and were sentenced in absentia.

A third suspect, a former police chief, was sentenced to five years in prison after becoming a state witness against Hasina and pleading guilty.

Hasina and Khan were accused over the killing of hundreds of people during a student-led uprising in July and August of 2024.

The country’s health adviser under the country’s current interim government said more than 800 people were killed and about 14,000 were injured.

However, the United Nations in a February report said up to 1,400 may have been killed.

Hasina says the charges are unjustified, arguing that she and Khan “acted in good faith and were trying to minimize the loss of life.”

The verdict comes as the country still grapples with instability after Hasina was ousted on Aug. 5, 2024.

Bangladeshi Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus took over as the head of an interim government three days after her fall.

Yunus has vowed to punish Hasina and banned the activities of her Awami League party.

A three-member tribunal, headed by Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder, announced the tribunal's ruling, a session that was broadcast live.

Some of those in the packed courtroom cheered when Mazumder announced the death penalty for Hasina.

He admonished them, telling them to express their feelings outside the courtroom.

Hasina cannot appeal the verdict unless she surrenders or is arrested within 30 days of the judgment.

Tensions and disruptions grew in the country in recent days ahead of the verdict.