🔗 Share this article

The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for human rights violations due to her severe measures on student-led protests which caused her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the disturbances last year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had called for severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque told media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year commenced through demands to abolish government job quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader authenticated by investigative sources in previous months implied she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations told press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted last month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the ballot.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but to date India has expressed no readiness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disappointed," he stated further.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against the former leader and the her political party has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital told media outlets. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this state."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not closure for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.