🔗 Share this article

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities stemming from her harsh response on youth demonstrations which resulted in her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the unrest in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had demanded strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and cheering as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the authorities' representative informed press agencies.

The student-led uprising during 2024 started with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of others, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by investigative sources during the current year indicated she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, relatives of those killed during the protests told press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

After her departure, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economist 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 interim government in May.

She alerted last month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her repatriation but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

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

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this nation."

The activist added that the punishment was not resolution for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.