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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations over her severe measures on youth demonstrations which resulted in her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom died during the unrest last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted all charges, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Families of those killed and harmed had requested strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and cheering as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson stated to press agencies.

The student-led uprising in the previous year started with demands to abolish state employment quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of others, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by media examinations during the current year indicated she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, family members of those killed during the protests stated to press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

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

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the vote.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; that's why I am disappointed," he stated further.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this state."

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

"We work with multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he stated.