🔗 Share this article

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity due to her harsh response on youth demonstrations which caused her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom were killed during the turmoil during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted all charges, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and injured had demanded strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, Hasina said the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her government's record on human rights.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque told news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 started with demands to abolish government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader authenticated by investigative sources earlier this year indicated she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others 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 "implemented before the election".

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned last month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the ballot.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; that's why I am sad," he continued.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to media outlets. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this state."

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

"We work with multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.