🔗 Share this article

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity due to her severe measures on student-led protests which caused her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted all charges, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had demanded strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, the former leader stated the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards ahead of the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque stated to media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year began with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by media examinations during the current year indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, family members of those who died in the demonstrations told news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

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

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the election.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

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

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

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

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this state."

The activist added that the penalty was not resolution for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with several people who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

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