🔗 Share this article

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for human rights violations stemming from her harsh response on student-led protests which caused her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the turmoil in the previous year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had demanded tough penalties.

Answering the judgment 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 confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards prior to the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the police spokesperson told media outlets.

The student-led uprising during 2024 began with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader authenticated by media examinations in previous months implied she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those killed during the protests informed press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the ballot.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but to date India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disappointed," he added.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Although the punishment offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital told media outlets. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

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

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not resolution for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

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

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.