🔗 Share this article

The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity due to her crackdown on student-led protests which led to her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the unrest last year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and injured had requested severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership'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 face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a recent spike in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the police spokesperson informed press agencies.

The student-led uprising last year started with calls to eliminate government job quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader verified by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

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

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

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

However, the her former political organization, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the ballot.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disappointed," he stated further.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

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 resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this nation."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not finality for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he said.