🔗 Share this article

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity over her harsh response on youth demonstrations which led to her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the unrest last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had requested severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was content of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and applauding as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson stated to press agencies.

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

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of others, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader verified by external reviews earlier this year implied she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, 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".

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

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

After her departure, an caretaker administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

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

She alerted last month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the election.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but to date India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; which is why I am sad," he stated further.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

While the sentence offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this country."

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

"We assist several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the former hierarchy," he expressed.