🔗 Share this article

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity over 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, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the disturbances last year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and celebrating as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the authorities' representative told press agencies.

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

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader confirmed by investigative sources earlier this year indicated she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those killed during the protests told news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed 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."

After her departure, an temporary leadership led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the election.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Authorities have sought her extradition but to date India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; that's why I am disappointed," he stated further.

Last week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her former home minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist told news organizations. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not finality for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, 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 even more difficult" for Awami League to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he said.