🔗 Share this article

The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for atrocities due to her severe measures on protests led by students which resulted in her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the unrest during 2024.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in turmoil, 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 no victims identified, local police official the authorities' representative informed news organizations.

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

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of others, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader authenticated by external reviews earlier this year implied she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those killed during the protests informed news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

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

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her return but until now India has expressed no readiness to comply.

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

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

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital told press agencies. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not closure for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We assist several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for her party 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 old leadership," he stated.