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

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the turmoil last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had called for tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, the former leader stated the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating 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 just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security prior to the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the police spokesperson told press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt last year began with demands to abolish state employment quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The report documented the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of others, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by investigative sources in previous months indicated she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those who died in the demonstrations informed press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration led by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the ballot.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but so far India has shown no willingness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disappointed," he continued.

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

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

Although the punishment grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed press agencies. "Neither she nor the party 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 most citizens in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not finality for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We work with numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.