🔗 Share this article

The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity stemming from her harsh response on protests led by students which caused her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the unrest in the previous year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had demanded severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, Hasina said the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and cheering as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the police spokesperson informed news organizations.

The student-led uprising during 2024 commenced through demands to abolish government job quotas but evolved 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 "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by media examinations during the current year suggested she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those who died in the demonstrations stated to news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

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

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is set for February 2026.

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

She alerted in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the election.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disappointed," he stated further.

The previous week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed news organizations. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."

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

"We support several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.