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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity stemming from her severe measures on protests led by students which led to her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the unrest during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had requested tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards prior to the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the authorities' representative informed media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt last year began with requests to remove government job quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of others, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader verified by external reviews during the current year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those who died in the demonstrations stated to press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

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

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is set for February 2026.

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

She alerted last month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the ballot.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her return but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; that's why I am disappointed," he continued.

The previous week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment offers some closure to families of killed 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 subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to media outlets. "The leader and her faction has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this country."

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

"We assist several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.