🔗 Share this article

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for human rights violations stemming from her crackdown on youth demonstrations which led to her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom died during the unrest in the previous year.

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.

The prosecution alleged of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and wounded had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her government's record on human rights.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection ahead of the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and cheering as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year started with calls to eliminate government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of further participants, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by external reviews earlier this year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those who died in the demonstrations stated to media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead 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 spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

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

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the election.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but until now India has expressed no readiness to comply.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disheartened," he added.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

While the sentence grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to media outlets. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this state."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not closure for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

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

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

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the previous administration," he said.