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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations due to her crackdown on student-led protests which caused her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and injured had demanded severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her leadership's history on human rights.

"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 tribunal took place, was under tightened security before the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and celebrating as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the authorities' representative stated to news organizations.

The student-led uprising in the previous year started with demands to abolish government job quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by investigative sources earlier this year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

After her departure, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned last month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; which is why I am sad," he added.

The previous week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the her political party has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist told press agencies. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not resolution for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We support several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.