🔗 Share this article

The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity due to her harsh response on student-led protests which resulted in her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the disturbances during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted all charges, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had called for strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards before the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque stated to news organizations.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year started with requests to remove state employment quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

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

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of others, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by media examinations earlier this year indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

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

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 relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the election.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her repatriation but to date India has shown no willingness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disappointed," he added.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her former home minister and security forces head.

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

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to media outlets. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this state."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not closure for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.