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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 resulted in her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the unrest in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security ahead of the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the police spokesperson informed news organizations.

The student-led uprising during 2024 began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

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

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

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

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

After her departure, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is set for February 2026.

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

She alerted in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but so far India has shown no willingness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disappointed," 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.

Hasina was tried alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this nation."

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

"We support multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.