🔗 Share this article

The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity stemming from her harsh response on protests led by students which resulted in her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the turmoil in the previous year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and harmed had called for severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security ahead of the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a recent spike in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the authorities' representative told media outlets.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 began with demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

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

After her departure, an interim government led by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the election.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disheartened," he added.

Recently, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her former home minister and police chief.

While the sentence offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the Awami League has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not finality for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

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

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from the former leader and the previous administration," he said.