🔗 Share this article

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for human rights violations due to her crackdown on protests led by students which led to her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the disturbances during 2024.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had called for tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection prior to the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a sudden increase in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year commenced through requests to remove public sector reservation policies but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by media examinations in previous months indicated she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives 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 "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

After her departure, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the ballot.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her extradition but until now India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

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

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disappointed," he added.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her former home minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," 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 "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The activist added that the punishment was not resolution for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We assist multiple individuals 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 "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he said.