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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations over her harsh response on student-led protests which resulted in her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Families of those killed and harmed had called for tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards prior to the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and cheering as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the authorities' representative informed media outlets.

The protest movement led by students last year started with 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 nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and torture.

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

Ahead of the verdict, kin 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 "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

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

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

After her departure, an temporary leadership led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but to date India has shown no willingness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; 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 significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

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

Even though the verdict offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist told press agencies. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not finality for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Hasina and the old leadership," he said.