🔗 Share this article

The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for atrocities due to her harsh response on youth demonstrations which caused her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the disturbances last year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had requested severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection before the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative Jisanul Haque told news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of others, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by media examinations earlier this year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those who died in the demonstrations informed press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

After her departure, an caretaker administration led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the vote.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but to date India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; which is why I am sad," he stated further.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the Awami League has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this state."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not resolution for the families of those killed and injured.

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

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, 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 nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.