🔗 Share this article

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her harsh response on protests led by students which caused her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people died during the disturbances during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had requested tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, Hasina said the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection prior to the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

The protest movement led by students last year started with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by external reviews in previous months indicated she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest told media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the ballot.

This decision presents a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her extradition but until now India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

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

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disappointed," he added.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this country."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not closure for the families of those killed and injured.

"We work with several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

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