🔗 Share this article

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for human rights violations over her harsh response on youth demonstrations which led to her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the turmoil during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had requested tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, the former leader stated the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and cheering as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson told press agencies.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 commenced through demands to abolish government job quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by external reviews during the current year suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Following her removal, an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has shown no willingness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; for that reason I am sad," he stated further.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

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 anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

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

The advocate continued that the sentence was not finality for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with several people who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation 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 separation from the former leader and the previous administration," he said.