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

The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for human rights violations due to her severe measures on youth demonstrations which resulted in her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the turmoil last year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Families of those killed and wounded had requested severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection before the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson informed press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt last year began with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by external reviews earlier this year suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those killed during the protests stated to press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded 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 husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

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

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

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the vote.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her return but until now India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disheartened," he continued.

Last week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

While the sentence offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the Awami League has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this state."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not closure for the families of those killed and injured.

"We support numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he said.