🔗 Share this article

The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity over her severe measures on youth demonstrations which caused her ousting.

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

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the authorities' representative stated to media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader authenticated by external reviews during the current year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those who died in the demonstrations stated to news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

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

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

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the vote.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; that's why I am disheartened," he continued.

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

The former leader faced trial 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 resentment towards Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to news organizations. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this country."

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

"We assist multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

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