🔗 Share this article

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations over her harsh response 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 protesters, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the turmoil in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had requested severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security prior to the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a sudden increase in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative Jisanul Haque stated to media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt last year commenced through calls to eliminate state employment quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews during the current year indicated she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those who died in the demonstrations stated to media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership led by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is planned for February 2026.

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

She alerted in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but so far India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; that's why I am sad," he added.

Recently, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the Awami League has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this state."

The activist added that the punishment was not closure for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"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."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

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