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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations stemming from her crackdown on youth demonstrations which caused her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the turmoil in the previous year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings 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 brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards prior to the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative stated to news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year started with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

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

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews earlier this year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, family members of those killed during the protests stated to news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

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

This decision presents a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her repatriation but to date India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; which is why I am sad," he added.

Recently, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her former home minister and security forces head.

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

"The fury directed at Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital told news organizations. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this nation."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not closure for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he said.