🔗 Share this article

The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities over her severe measures on student-led protests which caused her ousting.

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

Hasina was tried while she was absent 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 hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and injured had called for strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and cheering as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the police spokesperson informed media outlets.

The student-led uprising last year began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the intentional injuring of others, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

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

Prior to the ruling, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest informed media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

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

After her departure, an caretaker administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is planned for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the election.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Authorities have sought her extradition but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

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

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am sad," he continued.

Recently, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

Although the punishment offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has apologised or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not closure for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

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

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.