Bangladesh Probe: Allegedly 287 Dead in 1,569 Disappearances

Was Hasina a brutal autocrat who massacred protesters, or is her trial a politically-motivated kangaroo court?
Bangladesh Probe: Allegedly 287 Dead in 1,569 Disappearances
Above: Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a day after she won the 12th parliamentary elections, in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Jan. 8, 2024. Image credit: Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty Images

The Spin

Narrative A

Hasina's 15-year autocratic reign transformed Bangladesh into a police state where enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and systematic violence became routine tools of oppression. Her government's deadly crackdown on protesters in 2024 killed up to 1,400 people and represented the worst bloodshed since independence, exposing a regime that clung to power through brutal force while enriching cronies and dismantling democratic institutions.

Narrative B

The tribunal prosecuting Hasina is a kangaroo court staffed by inexperienced judges with conflicts of interest, operating under an illegitimate, unelected regime that predetermined her guilt. The U.N.'s deeply flawed report relied on uncorroborated testimony while ignoring 144 revenge killings against police and Awami League supporters, and the proceedings violate basic due process by denying fair representation and using unverified evidence.

Metaculus Prediction


Public Figures



© 2026 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.20.2

© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.

All rights reserved.

Version 6.20.2