🔗 Share this article

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for atrocities over her crackdown on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest during 2024.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies 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 detailed document, the former leader stated the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and applauding as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed press agencies.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 began with requests to remove government job quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations during the current year indicated she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those who died in the demonstrations informed news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her extradition 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 cannot even contest because my clients are absent; which is why I am sad," he stated further.

The previous week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the Awami League has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed media outlets. "The leader and her faction has apologised or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this nation."

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

"We assist several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from the former leader and the old leadership," he expressed.