🔗 Share this article

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity stemming from her crackdown on protests led by students which caused her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the turmoil last year.

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

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had requested tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her government's record on human rights.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security prior to the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the authorities' representative informed media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year began with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations earlier this year implied she had approved 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 who died in the demonstrations told news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

After her departure, an temporary leadership led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring 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 submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against the former leader and the Awami League has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has apologised or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this state."

The activist added that the sentence was not finality for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We work with several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.