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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations due to her severe measures on protests led by students which caused her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the disturbances last year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and injured had demanded severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security prior to the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the police spokesperson informed press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 commenced through demands to abolish government job quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of others, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by external reviews during the current year suggested she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those killed during the protests informed news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the election.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am sad," he added.

Recently, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Although the punishment offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed press agencies. "Both she and the organization has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

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

The advocate continued that the punishment was not resolution for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We support numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.