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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations over her crackdown on protests led by students which caused her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had requested severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, Hasina said the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

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

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson stated to news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through demands to abolish state employment quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by external reviews in previous months implied she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those killed during the protests told press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

After her departure, an caretaker administration led by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

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

She alerted during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her return but to date India has shown no willingness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; which is why I am disappointed," he continued.

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

Hasina was tried together with her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this country."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not finality for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.