A Bangladesh war crimes court sentenced ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina to death on 17 November, concluding a months-long trial that found her guilty of ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising last year.
The ruling is the most dramatic legal action against a former Bangladeshi leader in decades and comes months ahead of parliamentary elections expected to be held in early February. Hasina's Awami League party has been barred from contesting and it is feared that Monday's verdict could stoke fresh unrest ahead of the vote.
