Bangladesh's Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Given to Death Penalty

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity over her severe measures on protests led by students which led to her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances last year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had requested strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security ahead of the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a recent spike in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the police spokesperson informed media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year began with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of others, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by investigative sources in previous months suggested she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused 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 Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

After her departure, an interim government headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the ballot.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disappointed," he continued.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told press agencies. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

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

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

"We support several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" 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 the former leader and the previous administration," he stated.