🔗 Share this article

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity due to her crackdown on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the turmoil in the previous year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and harmed had requested severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, she expressed the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and applauding as the verdict was read.

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

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the police spokesperson informed news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 commenced through demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of others, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews earlier this year suggested she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those who died in the demonstrations told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

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

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Following her removal, an interim government under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the ballot.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; for that reason I am sad," he stated further.

The previous week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with 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 nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told news organizations. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

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

The activist added that the punishment was not closure for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.