The world this week | Sheikh Hasina sentenced to death, Donald Trump’s Russia-Ukraine peace plan, and Gen Z protests in Mexico

Charges against Sheikh Hasina: Sheikh Hasina, who ruled Bangladesh from 2009 until her ouster from power in August 2024, was accused of committing crimes against humanity over the deadly crackdown on student-led protests in July and August 2024.

Sheikh Hasina was charged with five counts of crimes against humanity. She was convicted on three counts – incitement, ordering to kill, and inaction to prevent the atrocities.

Who else has been sentenced?

Along with Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal was also sentenced to death, while Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, the former inspector general of police, received a five-year prison sentence.

What is the International Crimes Tribunal?

The International Crimes Tribunal (Bangladesh) was established by the Sheikh Hasina government in 2010, fulfilling a promise her party, the Awami League, made in the 2008 general elections. The ICT was established to prosecute suspects for the genocide committed by the Pakistan Army and their local collaborators, known as the Razakars, during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.

The first person to be sentenced to death by the ICT was Moulana Abul Kalam Azad aka Bacchu Razakar, a member of the Jamaat-e-Islami, in 2013. He was sentenced in absentia and still remains a fugitive.

Others who have been sentenced to death and executed include:

Abdul Quader Molla
Delwar Hossain Sayeedi
Muhammad Kamaruzzaman
Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed
Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury
Motiur Rahman Nizami
Mir Quasem Ali

Is ICT’s verdict on Sheikh Hasina legal?

Critics have pointed out that Sheikh Hasina could not be tried by the ICT as the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act of 1973, under which it was founded, was designed specifically to prosecute genocide and crimes committed during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 and not other cases.

Can Sheikh Hasina be extradited?

Sheikh Hasina has been living in India ever since she fled Bangladesh. Bangladesh’s interim government has formally requested India to extradite Sheikh Hasina under the 2013 India-Bangladesh Extradition Treaty. However, India is likely to reject the request, citing Article 6, which exempts extraditions in case of “political offence”.

Donald Trump’s 28-point Russia-Ukraine peace plan

After months of negotiations, threats of sanctions and a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump has put forward a peace plan to end the ongoing war in Ukraine.

As per the proposal, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be limited to 6,00,000, and Ukraine will constitutionally agree not to join NATO. NATO will agree not to admit Ukraine in the future and will not station its troops in Ukraine.

Ukraine, however, will be eligible for EU membership.

Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk will be recognised as de facto Russian, while Kherson and Zaporizhzhia will be frozen along the line of contact.

Russia will be invited to rejoin the G8, and frozen Russian funds will be used in US-led efforts to rebuild Ukraine.

If Ukraine invades Russia, it will lose the guarantee, and if Russia invades Ukraine, all global sanctions will be reinstated. Recognition of the new territory and all other benefits Russia will receive as part of the deal will also be invalidated.

Has the peace plan been accepted?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has agreed to “work on” the provisions of a 28-point peace plan, but has not agreed to all of its terms. Russia has also not formally acknowledged accepting the 28-point peace plan.

Russia-Ukraine war in numbers

Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, then called a special military operation, on February 24, 2022.

Death toll: While there are no official figures from either side, various estimates put the Russian military death toll at 2,19,000 and Ukrainian casualties at 79,213 till October 2025.

As of November 2025, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has verified at least 14,534 civilian deaths and 38,472 injuries in Ukraine.

Trump warns action over violence against Christians in Nigeria

US President Donald Trump has stepped up pressure on Nigeria with threats of military action, sanctions and other measures over the alleged persecution of Christians in the country. In October, the Trump administration had listed Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over the killings of Christians there.

Nigerian population

The total Nigerian population is estimated to be around 242 million in 2025, out of which 109.8 million-115.6 million people (45-48 per cent) are Christians.

Is there a Christian genocide in Nigeria?

While the US has alleged that there was an ongoing Christian genocide, the Nigerian government has called it a misrepresentation of facts.

Christian-Muslim conflict or herder-farmer conflict?

The Nigerian government has insisted that the deaths are the result of the long-running conflicts between predominantly Muslim nomadic cattle herders and predominantly Christian farmers over grazing lands. Many international organisations, including Genocide Watch and Johns Hopkins University, have termed the killings beyond just clashes and herder-farmer conflict.

In addition to this, the Islamist armed group Boko Haram has also carried out mass killings in Nigeria. But according to human rights experts, more Muslims have been killed by Boko Haram than Christians.

Gen Z protests in Mexico

Mexico became the latest country to taste the anger of Gen Zs, who took to the streets this week, angered over rampant crime, government corruption, and a lack of security.

Who is behind the Gen Z protests in Mexico?

The Gen Z protests in Mexico were organised by a social media group called “Generación Z Mexico”.

What triggered the protests?

The immediate trigger for the protests was the murder of Carlos Manzo, the Mayor of Uruapan, who was shot dead on November 1 at a public event marking the Day of the Dead. Manzo was an outspoken critic of the federal government’s “hugs, not bullets” approach to organised crime and had adopted a zero-tolerance stance in his city.

What are the demands of Gen Z protesters in Mexico

Protesters have presented a 12-point list of demands focusing on citizen-initiated recall mechanisms for the president, judicial independence, security reforms, including demilitarisation of internal security, and greater government transparency and auditing.

Countries that have seen Gen Z protests

• Bangladesh
• Nepal
• Indonesia
• Philippines
• Timor-Leste
• Madagascar
• Maldives

Who are Gen Z?

Generation Z, or Gen Z, refers to people born between 1997 and 2012.

Gen Z protest symbol

Across the Gen Z protests, except for the 2024 protests in Bangladesh, the unique feature has been the use of the Straw Hat Pirates’ Jolly Roger flag from the popular Japanese manga and anime series One Piece.

The flag was first used in protests by truck drivers in Indonesia in July. It made its way to the Gen Z protest in Indonesia in August and was subsequently adopted by similar protests across the world.

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