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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity due to her harsh response on protests led by students which caused her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people died during the turmoil last year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection before the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a notable rise in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year commenced through requests to remove public sector reservation policies but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews in previous months indicated she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those killed during the protests told press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

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

Following her removal, an interim government headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the vote.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disheartened," he added.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

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

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the Awami League has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this state."

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

"We support several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.