🔗 Share this article

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for human rights violations stemming from her severe measures on youth demonstrations which resulted in her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the disturbances last year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Families of those killed and wounded had demanded tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, Hasina said the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque told media outlets.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year started with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of others, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina 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 legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those killed during the protests informed media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the vote.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disappointed," he continued.

Recently, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her ex-interior minister and police chief.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to press agencies. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this country."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not closure for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with several people who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he said.