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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh 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.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the unrest in the previous year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had demanded severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security prior to the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and celebrating as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the authorities' representative informed press agencies.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year began with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews earlier this year indicated she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest informed press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

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

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but to date India has expressed no readiness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; that's why I am sad," he added.

The previous week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

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

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this country."

The activist added that the punishment was not closure for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We work with numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from the former leader and the previous administration," he stated.