🔗 Share this article The nation of Bangladesh's Deposed Leader Sheikh Hasina Sentenced to Death The former leader was judged by a special court. The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her crackdown on youth demonstrations which resulted in her forced departure. Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the unrest last year. Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024. The prosecution alleged of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics". Students clashed with the law enforcement during the 2024 protests in Dhaka. The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and injured had requested strict sentences. Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the death penalty was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her leadership's history on civil liberties. "I am not afraid to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly." The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and applauding as the sentence was declared. Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict. One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative Jisanul Haque informed news organizations. The protest movement led by students during 2024 commenced through demands to abolish state employment quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement. International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "violations of human dignity". The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and abuse. Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews during the current year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial. Ahead of the verdict, kin of those killed during the protests stated to news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina. A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority". Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election". "Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls." Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is planned for February 2026. Nevertheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May. The former leader cautioned last month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the ballot. The judgment creates a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has shown no willingness to agree. Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied". "I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disappointed," he continued. Last week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT. Anti-government protesters stormed her official home in Dhaka in the summer of 2024. Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer. While the sentence grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts. "The anger against the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens." The activist stated "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this country." The advocate continued that the punishment was not finality for the families of those killed and injured. "We support multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her." An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again. This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.