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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for atrocities over her harsh response on protests led by students which led to her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the unrest last year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had requested strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection ahead of the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and celebrating as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the authorities' representative told press agencies.

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 represent "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader confirmed by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest informed press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused 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 Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

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

Nonetheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the election.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her return but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am sad," he added.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist told press agencies. "The leader and her faction has apologised or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this nation."

The activist added that the sentence was not finality for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We work with multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he said.