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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations due to her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people died during the unrest last year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and harmed had requested strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, Hasina said the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection ahead of the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the days leading up to 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 media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year started with requests to remove government job quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by media examinations in previous months indicated she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

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

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; which is why I am disheartened," he continued.

Recently, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

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

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital told press agencies. "The leader and her faction has apologised or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this state."

The activist added that the penalty was not finality for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.