🔗 Share this article

The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity due to her crackdown on protests led by students which caused her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the unrest last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Families of those killed and injured had called for strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security ahead of the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and cheering as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official Jisanul Haque told news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year began with requests to remove state employment quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "crimes against humanity".

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

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader verified by external reviews during the current year implied she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those killed during the protests stated to press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

After her departure, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted last month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am sad," he added.

The previous week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

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

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told press agencies. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this country."

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

"We work with multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from the former leader and the old leadership," he said.