🔗 Share this article

The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities over her severe measures on student-led protests which caused her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and wounded had demanded tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security prior to the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a sudden increase in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson stated to press agencies.

The student-led uprising in the previous year commenced through requests to remove government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader verified by external reviews during the current year implied she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

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

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Following her removal, an interim government headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted last month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the election.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disappointed," he stated further.

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

Hasina was tried together with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not finality for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.