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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity over her crackdown on protests led by students which led to her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the disturbances last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards prior to the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque stated to news organizations.

The student-led uprising during 2024 commenced through demands to abolish government job quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by external reviews earlier this year implied she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

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

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Following her removal, an interim government under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is set for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the ballot.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but until now India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

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

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disappointed," he stated further.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her former home minister and security forces head.

While the sentence offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed news organizations. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this country."

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

"We support several people who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he expressed.