🔗 Share this article

The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for human rights violations over her harsh response on student-led protests which led to her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the unrest during 2024.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had called for severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection prior to the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned 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 informed press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year began with demands to abolish government job quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader authenticated by external reviews in previous months suggested she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations stated to media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

After her departure, an temporary leadership led 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 prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the ballot.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

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

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am sad," he continued.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this state."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not finality for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from the former leader and the former hierarchy," he said.