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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations over her harsh response on student-led protests which resulted in her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest last year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and harmed had demanded tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was content of her government's record on human rights.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security ahead of the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque told news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year began with requests to remove state employment quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by investigative sources in previous months implied she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations informed news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

After her departure, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the ballot.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her return but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

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

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

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

While the sentence offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told media outlets. "The leader and her faction has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

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

The activist added that the sentence was not closure for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from the former leader and the old leadership," he expressed.