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

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the unrest last year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Families of those killed and harmed had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her government's record on human rights.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection before the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative Jisanul Haque told media outlets.

The student-led uprising last year commenced through demands to abolish government job quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by media examinations in previous months suggested she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those who died in the demonstrations informed press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds 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".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

After her departure, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government 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. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but to date India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

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

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told press agencies. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this state."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not finality for the families of those killed and injured.

"We assist numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.