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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities stemming from her crackdown on protests led by students which led to her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest in the previous year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had demanded severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed 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 administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security before the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official Jisanul Haque informed media outlets.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 began with demands to abolish state employment quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader authenticated by external reviews during the current year implied she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, family members of those killed during the protests told media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

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

After her departure, an temporary leadership led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the ballot.

This decision presents a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

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

The previous week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

While the sentence grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this country."

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

"We work with multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from the former leader and the previous administration," he expressed.