🔗 Share this article

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity over her crackdown on youth demonstrations which led to her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the turmoil during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Families of those killed and wounded had called for severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, Hasina said the death penalty was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and cheering as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the authorities' representative stated to news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 commenced through demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of others, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources earlier this year indicated 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 news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; which is why I am sad," he stated further.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told press agencies. "The leader and her faction has apologised or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this country."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not closure for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We support numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, 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 normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.