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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations due to her crackdown on protests led by students which led to her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the turmoil in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had requested tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, Hasina said the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

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

The city has seen a recent spike in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the authorities' representative told press agencies.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year commenced through requests to remove government job quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

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

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews earlier this year indicated she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

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

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted last month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the election.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her repatriation but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disheartened," he added.

Last week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this country."

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

"We support numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

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