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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations over her crackdown on protests led by students which resulted in her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom died during the turmoil in the previous year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, 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. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had requested severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, Hasina said the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me 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 tightened security ahead of the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and celebrating as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the authorities' representative informed press agencies.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 commenced through calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by media examinations earlier this year indicated she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those killed during the protests informed news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

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

Following her removal, an temporary leadership led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is set for February 2026.

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

She alerted last month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the vote.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her repatriation but to date India has shown no willingness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; which is why I am disheartened," he continued.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her former home minister and security forces head.

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

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told news organizations. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this state."

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

"We support several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, 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 regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.