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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations over her crackdown on student-led protests which resulted in her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the disturbances last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had called for tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the police spokesperson told media outlets.

The student-led uprising last year started with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of others, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by investigative sources in previous months indicated she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those killed during the protests informed news agencies 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 misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

After her departure, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her repatriation but to date India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her former home minister and police chief.

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 resentment towards the former leader and the her political party has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this nation."

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

"We support numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he stated.