🔗 Share this article

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her severe measures on protests led by students which caused her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people died during the unrest during 2024.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had demanded severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was proud of her government's record on individual freedoms.

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

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

The city has seen a sudden increase in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the police spokesperson informed press agencies.

The student-led uprising during 2024 commenced through demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by external reviews earlier this year implied she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations told media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

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

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

After her departure, an temporary leadership under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the ballot.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

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

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital told media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not closure for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.