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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations due to her crackdown on protests led by students which caused her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the turmoil last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards prior to the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and applauding as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a notable rise in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the authorities' representative stated to news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year commenced through requests to remove government job quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations during the current year indicated she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed 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 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 kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the ballot.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has shown no willingness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

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

Recently, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her former home minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to media outlets. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this state."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not closure for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he said.