🔗 Share this article

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity over her severe measures on youth demonstrations which resulted in her forced departure.

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

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into 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, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and cheering as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque informed press agencies.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year started with requests to remove state employment quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "crimes against humanity".

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

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by media examinations in previous months indicated she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, family members of those who died in the demonstrations told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political 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, numerous would avoid the election.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am sad," he continued.

Last week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her former home minister and police chief.

While the sentence grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The anger against the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this nation."

The activist added that the punishment was not closure for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.