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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity due to her harsh response on student-led protests which led to her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the unrest in the previous year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Families of those killed and wounded had requested severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a notable rise in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded 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 the authorities' representative told media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt last year started with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of further participants, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader verified by media examinations earlier this year indicated she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest told media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

After her departure, an temporary leadership led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the vote.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disappointed," he continued.

The previous week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her ex-interior minister and police chief.

While the sentence grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this nation."

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

"We support multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Hasina and the previous administration," he said.