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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations due to her severe measures on youth demonstrations which led to her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the turmoil in the previous year.

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

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

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

The city has seen a notable rise in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the police spokesperson informed media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt last year began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader verified by investigative sources during the current year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those killed during the protests informed 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 Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose husband was killed 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 obtain solace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to agree.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disappointed," he continued.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."

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

"We support multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.