🔗 Share this article

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for human rights violations due to her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had demanded tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her government's record on human rights.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards ahead of the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a sudden increase in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the police spokesperson stated to media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt last year commenced through calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those who died in the demonstrations stated to news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is set for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the election.

This decision presents a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disappointed," he added.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her former home minister and police chief.

Although the punishment offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told press agencies. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this state."

The activist added that the punishment was not closure for the families of those killed and injured.

"We support several people who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.