🔗 Share this article

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity due to her harsh response on youth demonstrations which caused her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom died during the unrest in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and harmed had called for severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the death penalty was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on human rights.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection before the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

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

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "violations of human dignity".

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

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest informed news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted last month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her repatriation but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

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

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her former home minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not closure for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.