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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations due to her harsh response on protests led by students which caused her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people died during the unrest last year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had requested tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection before the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative stated to news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt last year commenced through requests to remove government job quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader authenticated by external reviews earlier this year suggested she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations told news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

After her departure, an temporary leadership under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is planned for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, 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 forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but until now India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disheartened," he stated further.

Recently, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

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

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed media outlets. "The leader and her faction has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not closure for the families of those killed and injured.

"We assist several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with the former leader and the former hierarchy," he said.