Bangladesh's Deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed Sentenced to Capital Punishment

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity over her harsh response on youth demonstrations which resulted in her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Families of those killed and wounded had requested tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security prior to the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and applauding as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase 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 zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque stated to news organizations.

The student-led uprising last year commenced through requests to remove public sector reservation policies but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources during the current year implied she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

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

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

After her departure, an interim government headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned last month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

This decision presents a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her return but to date India has expressed no readiness to comply.

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

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

The previous week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her former home minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital informed news organizations. "Both she and the organization has said sorry 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 state."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not resolution for the families of those killed and injured.

"We assist numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.