🔗 Share this article

The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity due to her crackdown on protests led by students which led to her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the disturbances last year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted all charges, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had requested severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, she expressed the death penalty was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

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

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and cheering as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson told press agencies.

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

United Nations rights examiners said in a report 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 others, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews earlier this year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest informed media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; which is why I am sad," he stated further.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her former home minister and police chief.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital informed press agencies. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this country."

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

"We support multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from the former leader and the previous administration," he stated.