🔗 Share this article

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for atrocities stemming from her severe measures on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, 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, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, the former leader stated the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 started with calls to eliminate government job quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the intentional injuring of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by investigative sources during the current year suggested she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest informed news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

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

She alerted in the previous month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the election.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her return but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

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

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "Both she and the organization has apologised or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this state."

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

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

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.