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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations due to her severe measures on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people died during the disturbances in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had requested strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards prior to the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and celebrating as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson told news organizations.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 commenced through demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by investigative sources during the current year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, kin 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 Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disappointed," he added.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

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 decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "Both she and the organization has apologised or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this state."

The activist added that the punishment was not finality for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.