🔗 Share this article

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for atrocities stemming from her severe measures on youth demonstrations which resulted in her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people died 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.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and wounded had called for strict sentences.

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

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the police spokesperson stated to news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 commenced through calls to eliminate state employment quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of others, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources during the current year implied she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest informed press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

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

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

After her departure, an caretaker administration headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the ballot.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for both nations. Authorities have sought her extradition but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disheartened," he stated further.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside 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 fury directed at the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told media outlets. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not resolution for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.