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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her severe measures on protests led by students which led to her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people died during the unrest during 2024.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted all charges, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and harmed had demanded severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, Hasina said the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and cheering as the judgment was announced.

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

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the police spokesperson told news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 commenced through demands to abolish state employment quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of others, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by investigative sources in previous months implied she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

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

She alerted last month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the ballot.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; which is why I am sad," he stated further.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this state."

The activist added that the sentence was not resolution for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.