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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities over her crackdown on student-led protests which resulted in her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the disturbances last year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security before the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque told news organizations.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year started with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews in previous months suggested she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Before the decision, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

A different family member, 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 obtain solace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the vote.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her return but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; which is why I am sad," he continued.

The previous week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her former home minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist told news organizations. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not resolution for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.