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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 led to her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the unrest in the previous year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and wounded had called for severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative told media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year started with demands to abolish government job quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader verified by media examinations in previous months indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those who died in the demonstrations told media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

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

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

Following her removal, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the election.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

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

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this nation."

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

"We support multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.