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

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people died during the turmoil during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, Hasina said the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in disturbances, 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 reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the police spokesperson informed press agencies.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of others, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by media examinations in previous months suggested she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" 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 "executed before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted last month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the ballot.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her return but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am sad," he continued.

The previous week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to news organizations. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."

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

"We work with numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

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