🔗 Share this article

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity due to her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom died during the unrest last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and injured had requested severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards ahead of the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson told press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 started with requests to remove government job quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader authenticated by external reviews during the current year indicated she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest informed press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

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

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees 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 demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disappointed," he continued.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this country."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not closure for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, 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 country's governance system again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.