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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations due to her harsh response on student-led protests which caused her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom died during the turmoil during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security before the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a notable rise in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the police spokesperson stated to media outlets.

The student-led uprising last year began with demands to abolish state employment quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of others, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by investigative sources in previous months implied she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Before the decision, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations told media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance 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".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the election.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her extradition but to date India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; which is why I am sad," he stated further.

The previous week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial 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 have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital told news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not resolution for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"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."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from the former leader and the old leadership," he expressed.