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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations over her crackdown on protests led by students which led to her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the turmoil last year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, she expressed the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

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

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the authorities' representative informed press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt last year started with demands to abolish government job quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by media examinations in previous months suggested she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those killed during the protests stated to press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Following her removal, an interim government headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the vote.

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.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

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

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

Although the punishment offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease 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 said sorry or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

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

The advocate continued that the penalty was not closure for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist 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 commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.