🔗 Share this article

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for human rights violations due to her harsh response on youth demonstrations which led to her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the disturbances last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had called for strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a recent spike in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the authorities' representative stated to media outlets.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 began with demands to abolish state employment quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader confirmed by media examinations earlier this year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest informed news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned 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 judgment creates a international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

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

Recently, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

Even though the verdict offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this country."

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

"We support numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

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