🔗 Share this article

The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her severe measures on student-led protests which caused her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had demanded tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the police spokesperson informed press agencies.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 commenced through demands to abolish government job quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the intentional injuring of others, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader verified by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had authorized 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 who died in the demonstrations stated to media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

After her departure, an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is planned for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned during the past month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

This decision presents a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disappointed," he added.

The previous week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her former home minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to news organizations. "Both she and the organization has apologised or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this state."

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

"We assist numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Hasina and the previous administration," he said.