Bangladesh's Ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed Given to Capital Punishment

The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for atrocities over her harsh response on youth demonstrations which caused her removal from power.

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

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted all charges, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security ahead of the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a sudden increase in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

The student-led uprising in the previous year commenced through calls to eliminate government job quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of others, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader authenticated by investigative sources in previous months indicated she had sanctioned 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 the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

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

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the ballot.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

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

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disheartened," he continued.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this country."

The activist added that the punishment was not finality for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from the former leader and the old leadership," he stated.