🔗 Share this article

The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations over her harsh response on youth demonstrations which resulted in her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the turmoil last year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection prior to the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a sudden increase in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the authorities' representative stated to press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 began with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by investigative sources earlier this year implied she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those who died in the demonstrations stated to press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

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

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the ballot.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disheartened," he stated further.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this state."

The activist added that the penalty was not finality for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.