🔗 Share this article

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for human rights violations stemming from her crackdown on youth demonstrations which resulted in her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the disturbances during 2024.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted all charges, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

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

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, Hasina said the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection prior to the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and applauding as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative told press agencies.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year began with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by external reviews in previous months implied she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the election.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but to date India has expressed no readiness to agree.

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

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disappointed," he continued.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has apologised or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this country."

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

"We assist numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, 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 normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from the former leader and the old leadership," he stated.