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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity stemming from her crackdown on student-led protests which led to her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had requested severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, Hasina said the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

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

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection before the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and cheering as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the authorities' representative told press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 began with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources earlier this year implied she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, family members of those who died in the demonstrations told media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

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

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for both nations. Authorities have sought her repatriation but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disheartened," he stated further.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed news organizations. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

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

The activist added that the penalty was not closure for the families of those killed and injured.

"We work with several people who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he stated.