Former Bangladesh PM Sentenced to Death
Photo by AP Photo/Rajib Dhar.
Bangladesh's former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, was recently sentenced to death after she was found guilty of ordering a deadly crackdown on student protests in 2024. Since being ousted in 2024, she has been living in exile in India following her 15 year governing period.
The daughter of Bangladesh’s founding father and former president, Hasina’s tenure has been marked with allegations of vote-rigging, political unrest, misuse of the media to serve her own interests, reports from human rights organizations, and accusations of violence against opposition members. As students protested against unfair government job quotas and pushed for merit-based recruitment, Hasina’s dismissive comments calling protesters “Razkars” caused public outcry and more protests. The derogatory label is synonymous with the word ‘traitor’ and refers to a paramilitary group of pro-Pakistani Bangladeshis known for committing brutal crimes to the Bengali population during the Liberation War.
Despite the increasing death tolls, Hasina focused on protecting government property instead of addressing the people’s concerns, adding more fuel to the fire and increasing the death toll to almost 300. As she continued to feign ignorance, demands for her resignation increased.
Hasina’s blatant misuse of law enforcement to harass and kill hundreds of people led to her conviction of crimes against humanity. However, the corruption within key governmental and media systems that she permitted will be her lasting legacy—damage that could take years to undo. Despite being a supposed proponent of ending corruption, her government did nothing to address the issue.
Hasina has denied all charges and attributes them to political motivation; she fled to India in August of 2024. Bangladesh has requested to extradite her from the country so that she can face punishment, but India has yet to respond. This request could strain India-Bangladesh relations, for India viewed Hasina as a reliable and valuable diplomatic relationship. Both countries rely heavily on each other for trade, water, electricity and other goods. While there is a history of close ties, Bangladesh’s interim government and its people desire a decrease in this codependency and a focus on other trading partners, such as China.
The future of Bangladesh’s government is undecided, showcasing the country’s instability and long-standing internal issues. As the country rebuilds, it is imperative for the government to restore public trust and address deeply rooted issues. Meanwhile, the trajectory of India-Bangladesh relations remains unknown and presents another challenge to the country’s turbulent political landscape.