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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 protests led by students which led to her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom died during the disturbances last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Families of those killed and wounded had demanded severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was content of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards ahead of the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a sudden increase in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the authorities' representative told press agencies.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 started with demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by media examinations during the current year suggested she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

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

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

After her departure, an caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is set for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the election.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her repatriation but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disappointed," he added.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this state."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not resolution for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.