🔗 Share this article

The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity stemming from her crackdown on protests led by students which resulted in her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the turmoil last year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had requested severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security ahead of the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and applauding as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a sudden increase in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the police spokesperson informed press agencies.

The student-led uprising during 2024 commenced through demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of others, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by investigative sources earlier this year implied she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those who died in the demonstrations stated to news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

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

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned during the past month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the ballot.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but until now India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; that's why I am disappointed," he continued.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Although the punishment offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed news organizations. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

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

The activist added that the punishment was not finality for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We assist multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.