🔗 Share this article

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations stemming from her crackdown on protests led by students which caused her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the turmoil during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, Hasina said the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection ahead of the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the police spokesperson stated to media outlets.

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

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by external reviews during the current year suggested she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Before the decision, family members of those killed during the protests 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 her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

After her departure, an caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration 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, countless would abstain the election.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disappointed," he added.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her ex-interior minister and police chief.

While the sentence offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to news organizations. "Both she and the organization has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this nation."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not closure for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.