🔗 Share this article

The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities over her harsh response on student-led protests which resulted in her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people died during the unrest last year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted all charges, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection before the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative Jisanul Haque informed media outlets.

The protest movement led by students last year began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews in previous months suggested she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations informed media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Following her removal, an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the vote.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

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

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; that's why I am disappointed," he stated further.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this nation."

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

"We assist numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

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