🔗 Share this article

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations stemming from her crackdown on youth demonstrations which caused her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the unrest during 2024.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was content of her government's record on human rights.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security ahead of the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a recent spike in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the police spokesperson stated to news organizations.

The student-led uprising in the previous year commenced through demands to abolish state employment quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The report documented the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader authenticated by investigative sources during the current year suggested she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those who died in the demonstrations informed media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the ballot.

This decision presents a international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but until now India has expressed no readiness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am sad," he continued.

The previous week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

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

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

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

The activist added that the penalty was not finality for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.