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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her crackdown on youth demonstrations which led to her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the turmoil during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had demanded severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her government's record on human rights.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a notable rise in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the authorities' representative stated to media outlets.

The student-led uprising last year started with calls to eliminate government job quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

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

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of others, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations during the current year implied she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, family members of those killed during the protests told media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the election.

This decision presents a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her return but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

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

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; for that reason I am sad," he added.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

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

Although the punishment offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to news organizations. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not closure for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist several people who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

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