🔗 Share this article

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for atrocities stemming from her crackdown on protests led by students which led to her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the turmoil during 2024.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had called for tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was proud of her administration's performance on human rights.

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

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security ahead of the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a sudden increase in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson told media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year began with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of others, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

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

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those killed during the protests stated to news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is set for February 2026.

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

She alerted in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the election.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but to date India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disappointed," he continued.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against 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 expressed regret or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this nation."

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

"We work with several people who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from the former leader and the former hierarchy," he stated.