Bangladesh's Ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Sentenced to Death

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her severe measures on student-led protests which caused her forced departure.

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

Hasina was tried in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted all charges, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had called for strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection before the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a sudden increase in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative informed news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year commenced through calls to eliminate government job quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of others, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by investigative sources during the current year indicated she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those killed during the protests stated to press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the ballot.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; which is why I am sad," he added.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her former home minister and police chief.

Although the punishment offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not closure for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Hasina and the old leadership," he said.