Bangladesh's Deposed Leader Sheikh Hasina Wajed Given to Capital Punishment

The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities stemming from her crackdown on protests led by students which led to her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the turmoil last year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Families of those killed and wounded had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said 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 administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a sudden increase in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque told press agencies.

The student-led uprising last year commenced through requests to remove public sector reservation policies but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of others, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations in previous months indicated she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those killed during the protests stated to news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, 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 kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

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

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

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the ballot.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but to date India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disheartened," he continued.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not resolution for the relatives 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 are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.