🔗 Share this article

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity stemming from her harsh response on protests led by students which led to her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the turmoil during 2024.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection prior to the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a sudden increase in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative informed media outlets.

The protest movement led by students last year started with requests to remove government job quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of others, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by media examinations in previous months indicated she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, 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 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".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Following her removal, an interim government led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned last month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the ballot.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her return but so far India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

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; that's why I am disappointed," he continued.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital informed press agencies. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this state."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not closure for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We support numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

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