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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations due to her harsh response on student-led protests which resulted in her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent 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 responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had requested tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, the former leader stated the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her government's record on human rights.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security prior to the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and applauding as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the authorities' representative stated to news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year began with demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by external reviews in previous months indicated she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest informed media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

After her departure, an caretaker administration headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

She alerted last month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the vote.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for both nations. Authorities have sought her repatriation but so far India has shown no willingness to comply.

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

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

The previous week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital informed news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this nation."

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

"We assist several people who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.