🔗 Share this article

The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for atrocities stemming from her crackdown on youth demonstrations which led to her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the turmoil last year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Families of those killed and harmed had demanded tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, she expressed the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards prior to the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a notable rise in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

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

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 began with demands to abolish government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

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

Before the decision, relatives of those killed during the protests stated to media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

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

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

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

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the ballot.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her return but until now India has expressed no readiness to agree.

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

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; that's why I am sad," he continued.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

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

"The anger against the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not closure for the relatives of those killed and injured.

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

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

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