🔗 Share this article

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for atrocities over her harsh response on protests led by students which led to her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances during 2024.

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

Legal authorities charged her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a sudden increase in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the authorities' representative stated to news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of others, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by media examinations during the current year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, kin of those killed during the protests informed press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

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

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

After her departure, an interim government under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the ballot.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am sad," he added.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

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

"The fury directed at Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this state."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not closure for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We assist multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from the former leader and the previous administration," he said.