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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities stemming from her crackdown on protests led by students which led to her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the turmoil during 2024.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had demanded severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, the former leader stated the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was proud of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection prior to the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and celebrating as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a recent spike in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the police spokesperson stated to press agencies.

The protest movement led by students last year started with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

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

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Following her removal, an interim government under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but until now India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; that's why I am disheartened," he continued.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

While the sentence grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this country."

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

"We assist several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from the former leader and the old leadership," he said.