🔗 Share this article

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations over her severe measures on youth demonstrations which led to her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the disturbances during 2024.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into 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 all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Families of those killed and wounded had requested tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and celebrating as the verdict was read.

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 noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative Jisanul Haque informed media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 commenced through demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by external reviews during the current year implied she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Before the decision, relatives of those killed during the protests told news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

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

After her departure, an caretaker administration headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Authorities have sought her repatriation but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; which is why I am sad," he added.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not resolution for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from the former leader and the old leadership," he stated.