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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations due to her crackdown on student-led protests which resulted in her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom died during the turmoil during 2024.

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

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had called for severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection before the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a recent spike in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque told media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt last year started with requests to remove government job quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources in previous months implied she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those killed during the protests told press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is set for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the ballot.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for both nations. Authorities have sought her return but so far India has shown no willingness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; which is why I am disheartened," he continued.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed news organizations. "Both she and the organization has apologised or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this state."

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

"We work with several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. 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 even more difficult" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.