🔗 Share this article

The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for human rights violations due to her harsh response on protests led by students which led to her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people died during the unrest last year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted all charges, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had called for strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, Hasina said the capital punishment 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 individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards prior to the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed press agencies.

The protest movement led by students last year began with requests to remove state employment quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of further participants, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations in previous months suggested she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those who died in the demonstrations stated to media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership led by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

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

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am sad," he continued.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising major judicial fairness and judicial process problems 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 have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the Awami League has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital informed press agencies. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this nation."

The activist added that the penalty was not resolution for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, 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 particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.