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

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people died during the unrest in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Families of those killed and injured had requested tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection before the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a notable rise in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official Jisanul Haque told press agencies.

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

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by external reviews in previous months indicated she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those who died in the demonstrations stated to media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the election.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her repatriation but so far India has shown no willingness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

The previous week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her former home minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the Awami League has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to press agencies. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this state."

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

"We work with multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

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