🔗 Share this article

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her crackdown on protests led by students which resulted in her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had demanded strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, Hasina said the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards prior to the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and applauding as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the police spokesperson told press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year started with requests to remove government job quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of others, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader verified by external reviews in previous months indicated she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by economist 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 caretaker administration in May.

She alerted last month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but until now India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; which is why I am disheartened," he added.

The previous week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the Awami League has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this nation."

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

"We work with multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.