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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations over her crackdown on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the turmoil last year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and wounded had requested severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards ahead of the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a notable rise in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque stated to news organizations.

The student-led uprising in the previous year started with requests to remove state employment quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "human rights atrocities".

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

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by media examinations during the current year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, 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 exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the ballot.

This decision presents a international dilemma for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am sad," he added.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her former home minister and police chief.

Although the punishment offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the Awami League has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "The leader and her faction has apologised or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not resolution for the families of those killed and injured.

"We work with multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.