🔗 Share this article

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations due to her harsh response on protests led by students which led to her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the unrest in the previous year.

Hasina was tried in absentia 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. The former leader rejected the entire case, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had called for severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security prior to the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

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

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year began with demands to abolish state employment quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by investigative sources during the current year implied she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those who died in the demonstrations told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

After her departure, an interim government under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the ballot.

This decision presents a international dilemma for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her return but until now India has shown no willingness to comply.

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

"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 raising serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her former home minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital told press agencies. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not closure for the families of those killed and injured.

"We support numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.