Bangladesh's Ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed Given to Death Penalty

The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for atrocities due to her severe measures on youth demonstrations which led to her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people died during the turmoil in the previous year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, she expressed the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation 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 numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson told press agencies.

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

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews during the current year suggested she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those who died in the demonstrations informed news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

After her departure, an caretaker administration headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the election.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but so far India has shown no willingness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disheartened," he stated further.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her former home minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The anger against the former leader and the Awami League has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this country."

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

"We assist numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with the former leader and the former hierarchy," he expressed.