🔗 Share this article

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity stemming from her severe measures on protests led by students which resulted in her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the disturbances during 2024.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had demanded tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection before the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a notable rise in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative Jisanul Haque stated to news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt last year commenced through requests to remove government job quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by investigative sources during the current year suggested she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those who died in the demonstrations stated to media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; which is why I am disappointed," he stated further.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her former home minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not closure for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We work with numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.