🔗 Share this article

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for human rights violations stemming from her crackdown on protests led by students which led to her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the unrest last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and injured had demanded strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, 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 sudden increase in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the authorities' representative told press agencies.

The protest movement led by students last year started with calls to eliminate government job quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by media examinations during the current year indicated 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 fatally injured in the unrest stated to press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

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

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the election.

This decision presents a international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but until now India has shown no willingness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; which is why I am disheartened," he continued.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

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

While the sentence provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed press agencies. "Both she and the organization has apologised or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

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

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

"We support numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, 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 could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he said.