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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations due to her harsh response on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection prior to the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a sudden increase in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the police spokesperson stated to news organizations.

The student-led uprising last year commenced through requests to remove state employment quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews in previous months indicated she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Before the decision, family members of those who died in the demonstrations stated to media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

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

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

After her departure, an temporary leadership under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past 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. Authorities have sought her return but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

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

The previous 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.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

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

The advocate continued that the penalty was not resolution for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he stated.