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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her crackdown on student-led protests which led to her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people died during the turmoil during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Families of those killed and injured had requested severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her government's record on individual freedoms.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security prior to the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and applauding as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

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

The protest movement led by students last year began with requests to remove government job quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by investigative sources earlier this year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations stated to news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, 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 misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, 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 achieve closure in their souls."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned last month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; which is why I am sad," he continued.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this nation."

The activist added that the punishment was not resolution for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist several people who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from the former leader and the old leadership," he stated.