🔗 Share this article

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for atrocities over her crackdown on student-led protests which led to her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people died during the turmoil last year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

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

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership'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 do not fear to face my accusers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and celebrating as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson stated to press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 started with requests to remove government job quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader authenticated by external reviews earlier this year suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those killed during the protests stated to press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

After her departure, an temporary leadership led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is planned for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the ballot.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her repatriation but so far India has shown no willingness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer 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 continued.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her former home minister and security forces head.

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

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital informed news organizations. "Both she and the organization has apologised or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

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

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not resolution for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We support multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from the former leader and the previous administration," he stated.