🔗 Share this article

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity stemming from her severe measures on youth demonstrations which led to her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had requested tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, Hasina said the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and applauding as the judgment was announced.

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

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the police spokesperson stated to press agencies.

The student-led uprising last year started with demands to abolish state employment quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by media examinations in previous months 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, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest informed press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died 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 hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the election.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but to date India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

The previous week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

While the sentence offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told media outlets. "Both she and the organization has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this state."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not closure for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with the former leader and the former hierarchy," he stated.