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

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances last year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had demanded tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, Hasina said the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection before the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and celebrating as the verdict was read.

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

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative informed press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 began with requests to remove state employment quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by investigative sources earlier this year suggested she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those who died in the demonstrations stated to press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

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

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Following her removal, an interim government under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her repatriation but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

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

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; that's why I am sad," he added.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

While the sentence offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this country."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not closure for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, 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 "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

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