Bangladesh's Deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed Sentenced to Death Penalty

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for human rights violations over her crackdown on youth demonstrations which led to her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people died during the turmoil in the previous year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had requested severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the police spokesperson informed press agencies.

The student-led uprising during 2024 commenced through demands to abolish state employment quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews earlier this year indicated she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those who died in the demonstrations informed news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose husband was killed 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 minds."

After her departure, an caretaker administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

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

The judgment creates a international dilemma for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disheartened," he stated further.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her former home minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist told news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not closure for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from the former leader and the previous administration," he expressed.