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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 ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances last year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had demanded tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was proud of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security prior to the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the police spokesperson told news organizations.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year commenced through demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by external reviews earlier this year implied she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those killed during the protests stated to press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration led by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is set for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned during the past month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but so far India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

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

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am sad," he added.

The previous week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The activist added that the sentence was not resolution for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We assist numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.