Bangladesh's Ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed Sentenced to Death

Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for atrocities due to her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me 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 many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a notable rise in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson informed press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year began with demands to abolish government job quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader authenticated by external reviews during the current year suggested she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, kin of those who died in the demonstrations stated to media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the election.

This decision presents a international dilemma for both nations. Authorities have sought her extradition but until now India has shown no willingness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; for that reason I am sad," he continued.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital told news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this country."

The activist added that the penalty was not resolution for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We assist numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. 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 Awami League to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.