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

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals 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, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had called for strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the police spokesperson informed news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year started with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

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

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by investigative sources earlier this year indicated she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest informed media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

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

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

She alerted last month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her repatriation but to date India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disheartened," he stated further.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her former home minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against the former leader and the Awami League has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital informed news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this nation."

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

"We work with several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.