🔗 Share this article

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

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the turmoil in the previous year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and injured had requested strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a recent spike in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the police spokesperson stated to media outlets.

The student-led uprising last year commenced through calls to eliminate state employment quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by investigative sources earlier this year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, family members of those who died in the demonstrations told media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

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

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

Following her removal, an temporary leadership headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is set for February 2026.

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

She alerted last month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the ballot.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her return but until now India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disappointed," he added.

Recently, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

Even though the verdict offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "The leader and her faction has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this state."

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

"We assist several people who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from the former leader and the previous administration," he stated.