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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 led to her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom died during the turmoil in the previous year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Families of those killed and injured had demanded severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her government's record on human rights.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

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

The protest movement led by students last year began with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by media examinations in previous months suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, relatives of those killed during the protests informed press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

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

After her departure, an caretaker administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but to date India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; that's why I am disappointed," he continued.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

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

Even though the verdict offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the her political party has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital told press agencies. "Both she and the organization has apologised or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this country."

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

"We assist multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from the former leader and the previous administration," he expressed.