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

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest during 2024.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security prior to the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a recent spike in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative told media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year commenced through calls to eliminate government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by investigative sources earlier this year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those killed during the protests told media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the ballot.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; that's why I am sad," he added.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

While the sentence grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not closure for the families of those killed and injured.

"We assist multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.