🔗 Share this article

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity due to her harsh response on protests led by students which led to her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people died during the unrest in the previous year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Families of those killed and harmed had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a sudden increase in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson told news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year started with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of others, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by investigative sources in previous months suggested she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those killed during the protests informed press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

She alerted last month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her extradition but to date India has shown no willingness to comply.

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

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disheartened," he continued.

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

The former leader faced trial alongside her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this state."

The activist added that the sentence was not finality for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Hasina and the previous administration," he said.