Muktadesh Desk: The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to death yesterday for crimes against humanity. She is the first former head of government of Bangladesh to be sentenced to death for crimes against humanity. Apart from Sheikh Hasina, at least 47 heads of state and government of the world have been sentenced to death at different times. Detailed information and data on this matter is available from articles on the history, politics and historical events of heads of state of different countries. However, the verdict of all those sentenced has not been implemented. Many have fled the country before the verdict was announced. Many have had their sentences reduced again in the wake of appeals. So far, 35 people have been executed through various methods.
Many of the heads of state or government sentenced to death were accused of dictatorial rule, genocide, and crimes against humanity. They were sentenced to death when these charges were proven.
Nicolae Ceausescu was the President of Romania. Since 1967, as the head of the State Council, he has held all the power of the state. He then served as president from 1974 to 1989. During his long reign, he limited citizens’ rights and suppressed political dissent through his authoritarian rule. He carried out widespread repression through the secret police. In late 1989, Ceausescu and his wife Elena Ceausescu, who were ousted in a popular uprising, were arrested. Ceausescu was found guilty of economic sabotage and genocide in a hastily conducted People’s Tribunal. After the trial, he was executed by firing squad in 1989.
Before Ceausescu, another Romanian head of government, Ion Antonescu, was also sentenced to death. He was the Prime Minister of Romania during World War II. During his rule, Romania maintained an alliance with the German Nazi alliance. He was accused of torturing and killing the Jewish and Roma people living in Romania. In 1945, he was indicted by the Romanian People’s Tribunal for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He was found guilty of these crimes and executed by firing squad in 1946.
The notorious fascist leader Benito Mussolini was the Prime Minister of Italy from 1922 to 1943. He tried to flee the country during the Allied advance. But he was captured. He was charged with war crimes. He was executed by firing squad on April 28, 1945.
Ivan Bagrianov was the Prime Minister of Bulgaria. While serving in this position in 1944, he was accused of siding with the Nazi alliance. At the end of World War II, he was brought before the People’s Tribunal. Ivan was found guilty of war crimes. He was executed on February 1, 1945. Many years later, in 1996, the country’s court overturned Ivan’s death sentence.
Dobri Bozhilov was the Prime Minister of Bulgaria. He was accused of anti-state activities and war crimes for various activities during his reign from 1943 to 1944. He was found guilty and sentenced to death. He was executed by firing squad in February 1945. His sentence was also overturned by a court in 1996.
Bogdan Filov was the Prime Minister of Bulgaria (1940–43) during World War II. He worked as a collaborator with Nazi Germany. After the war, he was sentenced to death by a pro-Soviet people’s court. The verdict was implemented in February 1945. However, his sentence was also overturned by the country’s court in 1996.
Vidkun Quisling was a Norwegian military officer and politician. He was the head of government of Norway during World War II. He was executed by firing squad in 1945 for his role as a Nazi collaborator.
Celal Bayar was the President of Turkey from 1950 to 1960. He had previously been the Prime Minister of the country from 1937 to 1939. Due to the internal situation of the state and political disagreements, he was accused of criminal activities. He was sentenced to death in 1961, but the sentence was later reduced. He was released in 1966.
Jean-Bedel Bokassa was the head of the Central African Empire from 1966 to 1979. He was overthrown in 1979. He was sentenced to death in absentia for the murder of opposition political leaders and activists. He later returned to the country and his sentence was reduced on appeal.
Former President and Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was overthrown in a military coup in 1977. He was charged with conspiracy against the state and attempted murder. He was convicted by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in the trial process and was hanged in 1979. The process of executing Bhutto was controversial. The incident sparked international debate. It is considered an important chapter in the political history of Pakistan.
Amir-Abbas Hoveida was the Prime Minister of Iran from 1965 to 1977 under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. He was a close associate of the Shah. After the Islamic Revolution, he was accused of corruption and being an accomplice of the Shah. He was sentenced to death in a post-revolutionary court and executed in 1979.
Saddam Hussein was the President of Iraq from 1979 to 2003. He was a hugely popular ruler in the Muslim world. He was ousted in the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States and its allies. He was later
