🔗 Share this article

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for human rights violations over her harsh response on youth demonstrations which resulted in her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had called for strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and applauding as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a sudden increase in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the police spokesperson told media outlets.

The student-led uprising last year commenced through calls to eliminate state employment quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of others, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by media examinations during the current year implied she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest told press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

Another relative, whose husband was killed 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 obtain solace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the ballot.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her repatriation but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

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

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

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her ex-interior minister and police chief.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this country."

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

"We work with numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.