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

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

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection before the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the authorities' representative informed press agencies.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by external reviews during the current year suggested she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, kin of those who died in the demonstrations stated to media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured 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 find peace in their souls."

After her departure, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned last month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the election.

This decision presents a international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disheartened," he continued.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her former home minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this nation."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not finality for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.