🔗 Share this article

The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for human rights violations stemming from her harsh response on student-led protests which caused her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the unrest in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted 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 behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and cheering as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

The student-led uprising in the previous year started with requests to remove government job quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by investigative sources in previous months implied she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

After her departure, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but so far India has shown no willingness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

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

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

While the sentence grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The anger against the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

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

The activist added that the penalty was not resolution for the families of those killed and injured.

"We support multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

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