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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity over her crackdown on protests led by students which led to her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest during 2024.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Families of those killed and wounded had called for severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her government's record on human rights.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security prior to the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a notable rise in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative informed media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt last year commenced through calls to eliminate government job quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader verified by external reviews earlier this year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations stated to media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates 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 her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but to date India has shown no willingness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am sad," he added.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told media outlets. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this state."

The activist added that the punishment was not resolution for the relatives of those killed and injured.

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

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

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