The situation in the country had worsened after the death sentence to former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, but now the situation is better on Tuesday (November 18, 2025). However, Awami League has called for a complete nationwide strike. Security forces are monitoring major cities.

On Monday, the International Criminal Tribunal (ICT) of Bangladesh had sentenced Sheikh Hasina to death. He has been accused of firing drones and helicopters at students protesting democratically during the coup in Bangladesh last year. In a 453-page verdict, a bench headed by Justice Ghulam Murtaza Mojumdar held Sheikh Hasina guilty of instigation, ordering murder and failure to prevent crimes.

There were no reports of violence after the decision, while traffic in Dhaka and other major cities remained thin and movement of people remained limited amid fears of possible unrest. A transport operator in Dhaka said, ‘The transport system is slow, people are preferring to stay at home.’

Attendance was also low in many offices and educational institutions. Heavily armed police, Rapid Action Battalion and paramilitary force personnel continued 24-hour patrolling around government buildings, party offices and major intersections. Security cordon was maintained in many parts of Dhaka, while surveillance continued at barricades and checkpoints.

The Awami League, in a statement released on social media on Monday, had called for a complete nationwide strike on Tuesday. The party has also announced nationwide demonstrations, protests and resistance from 19 to 21 November. The statement said, ‘Our systematic democratic movement will continue until the fall of the illegal, unconstitutional government of the murderous-fascist (Muhammad) Yunus and the restoration of democratic governance.’

Awami League has described the decision as politically motivated, malicious, vindictive and malicious. Reacting to the verdict, Sheikh Hasina described the charges as partisan and politically motivated and said the verdict was delivered by a rigged tribunal, run by an undemocratic government without a mandate.

The United Nations has expressed regret over the death sentence awarded to former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. However, the UN says that this decision of the Bangladeshi court is an important moment for the victims.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN chief Antonio Guterres, said in the daily press conference here on Monday (November 17, 2025) that Antonio Guterres completely agrees with the stance of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk that we are against the use of death penalty under any circumstances.

Stephane Dujarric was asked about the reaction of the UN Secretary General on the death sentence given to Sheikh Hasina in his absence, in response to which he said this. Sheikh Hasina has been accused of firing drones and helicopters at students protesting democratically during the coup in Bangladesh last year.

After Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power in August 2024, interim PM Mohammad Yunus constituted a special tribunal to review the atrocities during her tenure. In a 453-page verdict on Monday, a three-member bench headed by Justice Ghulam Murtaza Mojumdar held Sheikh Hasina guilty of instigating, ordering murder and failure to prevent crimes.

Sheikh Hasina, who has been living in India since the fall of her government in Bangladesh on August 5 last year, has been sentenced to death in absentia by the tribunal. Sheikh Hasina’s aide and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has also been sentenced to death on similar charges.

Raveena Shamdasani, the UN human rights spokesperson in Geneva, said in a statement that the tribunal’s verdict against Sheikh Hasina and the former interior minister is an important moment for victims of grave violations committed during the repression of protests last year. He said, ‘We also regret the imposition of death penalty, which we oppose in all circumstances.