🔗 Share this article

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity stemming from her crackdown on protests led by students which caused her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the turmoil in the previous year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had called for severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and cheering as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the police spokesperson told press agencies.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of others, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader verified by external reviews earlier this year indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, family members of those killed during the protests stated to news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

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

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

After her departure, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the ballot.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but to date India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disheartened," he stated further.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

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

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction 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 fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this country."

The activist added that the punishment was not resolution for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.