Sheikh Hasina Not The First: A Look At World Leaders Who Were Sentenced To Death

Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to death (hanging) for authorising the use of lethal force against protesters during the 2024 student protests. However, Sheikh Hasina is not the only head of government to face this fate. Many prominent world leaders have been sentenced to death for abuse of power.

Let's take a look at other prominent world leaders who have been sentenced to death in the past.

Saddam Hussein

Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq in the 1990s. He was sentenced to death on November 6, 2006, for serious charges including crimes against humanity, political repression, and genocide. He was executed after a full legal process.

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Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was sentenced to death in 1979 in a controversial assassination case. His supporters have consistently claimed that he did not receive a fair trial. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged on April 4, 1979.

Chun Doo-hwan

Chun Doo-hwan was a former military dictator of South Korea. He ruled the country from 1980 to 1988 after a coup in 1979. During his rule, pro-democracy protests were brutally suppressed. He was later charged with numerous corruption charges and imprisoned. In the 1990s, he was convicted of corruption and abuse of power and sentenced to death. However, the sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment.

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Tojo Hideki

Tojo Hideki, a former Japanese soldier and politician, was executed for war crimes. He served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1941 to 1944 during the war. He was convicted by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East at the Tokyo Trials and executed on December 23, 1948.

Pervez Musharraf

Pervez Musharraf was the first Pakistani military ruler to be sentenced to death. On December 17, 2019, a Pakistani court sentenced Musharraf to death for treason.

Benito Mussolini

Benito Mussolini was the dictator of Italy during the Fascist era, from the March on Rome in 1922 until his overthrow in 1943. He founded the National Fascist Party (PNF) and served as Prime Minister of Italy from 1922. Benito Mussolini was captured and shot by Italian guerrillas on April 28, 1945. After his assassination, his body was publicly humiliated and then buried.