🔗 Share this article

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations over her severe measures on youth demonstrations which led to her ousting.

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

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and harmed had called for tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a notable rise in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation 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 during 2024 began with demands to abolish state employment quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews in previous months indicated she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest informed media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

After her departure, an caretaker administration led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is set for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; which is why I am disappointed," he continued.

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

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital told media outlets. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

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

The advocate continued that the penalty was not resolution for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with several people who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he said.