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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations stemming from her severe measures on student-led protests which caused her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent 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 the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted all charges, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content 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."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security prior to the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson told news organizations.

The student-led uprising during 2024 started with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by investigative sources earlier this year implied she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the ballot.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; which is why I am disheartened," he stated further.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application 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 police chief.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this country."

The activist added that the penalty was not resolution for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We work with several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from the former leader and the former hierarchy," he stated.