Sheikh Hasina sentenced to death over student protests

The former prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity over her crackdown on student-led protests that led to her ouster.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during last year’s unrest.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since being forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina denied all the accusations and described the trial as “biased and politically motivated.”

The ruling marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, where protests have unleashed anger over years of repression. The families of the dead and wounded called for strict penalties to be imposed.

Reacting to the ruling in a five-page statement, Hasina said the death penalty was the interim government’s way of “nullifying the ruling.” [her party] “The Awami League as a political force” and that it is proud of its government’s human rights record.

“I am not afraid to confront the accused in an appropriate court where the evidence can be fairly weighed and tested.”

The capital, Dhaka, where the court was held, was under tight security ahead of Monday’s ruling, with many of Hasina’s critics marching and chanting as the ruling was read.

The city has seen a recent surge in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploding and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the ruling.

Jisanul Haq, a local police official, told the BBC that at least one bomb had been reported to have exploded in Dhaka on Monday morning, but no casualties were reported.

The student-led uprising began last year with demands to abolish the quota system in government jobs, but has transformed into a broader anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators said in a report issued in February that about 1,400 deaths could amount to “crimes against humanity.”

The report documented the shooting at close range of some demonstrators, the deliberate mutilation of others, arbitrary arrests and torture.

A leaked audio recording of one of Hasina’s phone calls, verified by the BBC earlier this year, suggests she authorized the use of “lethal weapons” in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the ruling was issued, family members of those killed during the protests told the BBC that they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted an “exemplary punishment” for Hasina and others who “committed acts of revenge and abused their power.”

Lucky More, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina’s rule implemented “before the elections”.

“Then only the families of the dead [in the protests] They will find peace in their hearts.”

Since Hasina’s ouster, an interim government led by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. Parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held in February 2026.

However, the Bangladesh interim government banned the Awami League, Hasina’s political party, in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the party’s candidates were prevented from running in the upcoming elections, millions would boycott voting.

The ruling now poses a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested its extradition, but India has so far shown no willingness to comply.

Hasina’s state-appointed lawyer, Mohammad Amir Hussain, said he was “saddened.” [and wishes] “The ruling was different.”

He added: “I can’t even appeal because my clients are absent, and that’s why I feel sad.”

Last week, Hasina’s lawyers said they had submitted an urgent appeal to the United Nations raising serious issues of fair trial and due process in the ICT court.

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

While the ruling provides some relief to the families of those killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country’s political divisions.

“The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided,” Shireen Haq, a Dhaka-based human rights activist, told the BBC. “Neither she nor the party have apologized or shown any remorse for the deaths of hundreds of people.”

“This makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by the majority of people in this country,” she said.

Ms. Al-Haq added that the punishment was not a closure for the families of the dead and wounded.

“We work with many people who have lost their limbs forever and are now amputees because of the oppression. They will never be able to forgive her.”

David Bergman, a journalist and longtime Bangladesh observer, said that “the very nature of the conviction could make it more difficult” for the Awami League to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

He added that this might change if “there is some kind of apology and move away from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership.”