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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for atrocities stemming from her severe measures on student-led protests which caused her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the disturbances last year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and wounded had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security before the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and applauding as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed press agencies.

The student-led uprising in the previous year commenced through requests to remove state employment quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of others, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted last month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the election.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but until now India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel 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 stated further.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed news organizations. "Both she and the organization has apologised or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this state."

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

"We assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he said.