🔗 Share this article

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for atrocities over her severe measures on protests led by students which led to her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force 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 International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Families of those killed and wounded had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her government's record on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection before the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a recent spike in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative told news organizations.

The student-led uprising in the previous year started with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of others, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by media examinations in previous months suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

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

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

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

However, the Awami League, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the vote.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has shown no willingness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] 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, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

While the sentence grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the Awami League has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to news organizations. "Both she and the organization has apologised or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this country."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not resolution for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.