🔗 Share this article

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for human rights violations over her severe measures on student-led protests which caused her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the disturbances last year.

The trial proceeded 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.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had requested tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security prior to the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson told news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year started with demands to abolish state employment quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews earlier this year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those killed during the protests informed media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

After her departure, an temporary leadership headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her extradition but until now India has shown no willingness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; that's why I am sad," he continued.

Last week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the Awami League has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this state."

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

"We assist numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he expressed.