🔗 Share this article

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations over her crackdown on protests led by students which resulted in her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the disturbances during 2024.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and celebrating as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

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

The youth-driven revolt last year began with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of others, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by media examinations during the current year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those killed during the protests informed media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the vote.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her return but to date India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; that's why I am sad," he added.

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

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital informed press agencies. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this country."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not finality for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he said.