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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity stemming from her severe measures on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances last year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection prior to the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and cheering as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 started with demands to abolish state employment quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of others, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews in previous months indicated she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations stated to news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [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 parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the ballot.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but to date India has shown no willingness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge 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 raising serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed press agencies. "Both she and the organization has apologised or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not closure for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.