🔗 Share this article

The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for human rights violations over her harsh response on student-led protests which resulted in her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom were killed during the turmoil in the previous year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, 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 satisfied of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year started with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews in previous months indicated she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those killed during the protests informed media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

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

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the election.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but until now India has shown no willingness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disappointed," he stated further.

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

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her former home minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this nation."

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

"We assist several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he said.