🔗 Share this article

The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity over her severe measures on youth demonstrations which led to her forced departure.

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

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted all charges, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

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

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, Hasina said the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

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

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative Jisanul Haque informed news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt last year commenced through requests to remove state employment quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews during the current year implied she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations stated to press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

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

Following her removal, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned last month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the ballot.

This decision presents a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her return but to date India has shown no willingness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disappointed," he added.

The previous week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this state."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not resolution for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from the former leader and the previous administration," he stated.