🔗 Share this article

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for human rights violations due to her severe measures on student-led protests which led to her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the turmoil in the previous year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and applauding as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the authorities' representative stated to news organizations.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year commenced through calls to eliminate government job quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader verified by investigative sources earlier this year implied she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those killed during the protests told media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, 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 kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

After her departure, an caretaker administration headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the election.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

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

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution 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 the former ruling faction has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed media outlets. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this country."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not closure for the kin 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 cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he stated.