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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations stemming from her harsh response on student-led protests which led to her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the turmoil in the previous year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had requested tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official Jisanul Haque told news organizations.

The student-led uprising during 2024 commenced through requests to remove government job 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 represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of others, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by external reviews during the current year suggested she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those who died in the demonstrations stated to news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, 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 misused their authority".

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

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

After her departure, an interim government under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted last month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the election.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

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

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "The leader and her faction has apologised or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this country."

The activist added that the punishment was not closure for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

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

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.