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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her severe measures on student-led protests which led to her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted 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 hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had called for severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection ahead of the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

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

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the police spokesperson stated to news organizations.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 started with calls to eliminate government job quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of others, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader verified by external reviews earlier this year suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

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

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

After her departure, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned last month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the election.

This decision presents a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her extradition but to date India has shown no willingness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disheartened," he stated further.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her former home minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to news organizations. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this state."

The activist added that the penalty was not closure for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. 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 particularly hard" for the political faction to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the former hierarchy," he said.