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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations over her crackdown on student-led protests which led to her forced departure.

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

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and wounded had demanded severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest 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 time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson informed news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through requests to remove state employment quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of further participants, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader authenticated by investigative sources earlier this year implied she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Before the decision, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but until now India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

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

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disheartened," he stated further.

Recently, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital informed press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

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

The activist added that the penalty was not closure for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he said.