🔗 Share this article

The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for atrocities over her crackdown on protests led by students which caused her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people died during the disturbances during 2024.

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

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and wounded had called for strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the death penalty was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and cheering as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a notable rise in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

The student-led uprising last year began with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader authenticated by media examinations earlier this year indicated she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those killed during the protests stated to 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 the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the vote.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but so far India has shown no willingness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; which is why I am sad," he stated further.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

While the sentence grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the her political party has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital informed press agencies. "Both she and the organization has apologised or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this country."

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

"We assist several people who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.