Bangladesh's Ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Sentenced to Capital Punishment

The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity stemming from her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the unrest during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed 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 government's record on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security before the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a recent spike in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque told media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt last year began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of others, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews earlier this year implied she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

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

Following her removal, an interim government led by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

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

She alerted in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but so far India has shown no willingness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; that's why I am disheartened," he stated further.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

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

The activist added that the punishment was not resolution for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

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