🔗 Share this article

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations stemming from her harsh response on protests led by students which resulted in her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives 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 following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had called for strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, 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 proud of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and applauding as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year began with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the intentional injuring of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader verified by external reviews in previous months suggested she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those killed during the protests told media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

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

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the election.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her former home minister and police chief.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

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

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not finality for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We assist multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.