New Delhi, Nov. 22 -- The sentencing of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) for crimes against humanity during the July 2024 uprising-which left nearly 1,400 protesters dead, mostly students, and ended her 15-year rule-is deeply ironic.

For one, the ICT was set up in 1973 by her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, to detect and punish those responsible for genocide during the 1971 Liberation War, especially between 25 March and 16 December 1971. The Dhaka tribunal was revived in 2009 by Hasina after her Awami League won the December 2008 elections to punish the assassins of her father and other family members in 1975.

Second, in June 2024, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus and 13 oth...