🔗 Share this article

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity stemming from her crackdown on protests led by students which resulted in her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom died during the unrest during 2024.

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

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, she expressed the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative Jisanul Haque stated to media outlets.

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

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by media examinations during the current year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest informed press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

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

After her departure, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is planned for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the ballot.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her repatriation but so far India has shown no willingness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disheartened," he continued.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her former home minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told media outlets. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement 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 several people who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from the former leader and the former hierarchy," he stated.