Bangladesh’s deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to death in absentia by a court in Dhaka for crimes against humanity over a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising last year, The Guardian reported. 

A three-judge bench of the country’s international crimes tribunal convicted Hasina of crimes including incitement, orders to kill, and inaction to prevent atrocities, carried out as she oversaw a crackdown on anti-government protesters last year.

Reading the verdict to the court, Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder said the “accused prime minister committed crimes against humanity by her order to use drones, helicopters and lethal weapons” against civilians.

Hasina had pleaded not guilty to the charges and alleged the tribunal was a “politically motivated charade”.

The months-long tribunal tried and sentenced Hasina in absentia. Since she fled the country in August last year, Hasina has been living in exile – and under protection – in neighboring India, and the Indian government has ignored requests for her extradition to face trial.