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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations over her severe measures on protests led by students which resulted in her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the disturbances last year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Families of those killed and wounded had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, Hasina said the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security prior to the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and applauding as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a notable rise in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the authorities' representative informed media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year started with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader verified by media examinations during the current year suggested she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest informed news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the election.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her repatriation but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told news organizations. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this country."

The activist added that the penalty was not finality for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We work with multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing 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 the political faction to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he said.