🔗 Share this article

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations over her severe measures on protests led by students which led to her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the turmoil in the previous year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had requested tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, the former leader stated the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a sudden increase in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative told media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year began with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of others, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader verified by external reviews during the current year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those who died in the demonstrations stated to press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

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

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

Following her removal, an interim government under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the vote.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Authorities have sought her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her former home minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the Awami League has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this state."

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

"We support numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.