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

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the disturbances last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and harmed had requested strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection before the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a sudden increase in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year started with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by media examinations earlier this year implied she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those who died in the demonstrations informed press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was prohibited 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 upcoming election, countless would abstain the ballot.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her return but until now India has expressed no readiness to comply.

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 clients are absent; for that reason I am disappointed," he continued.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her former home minister and police chief.

Although the punishment offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

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

The advocate continued that the sentence was not closure for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.