🔗 Share this article

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity due to her severe measures on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the disturbances during 2024.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had called for tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was proud of her government's record on human rights.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

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

The capital witnessed a recent spike in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the police spokesperson informed media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the intentional injuring of others, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by investigative sources in previous months indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, 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".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

After her departure, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

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

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the ballot.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disappointed," he continued.

Recently, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not resolution for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from the former leader and the former hierarchy," he said.