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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities over her severe measures on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the unrest during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Court 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 every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and injured had requested strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a notable rise in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated 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, local police official Jisanul Haque stated to news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year commenced through requests to remove state employment quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations in previous months indicated she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

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

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 "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

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

After her departure, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

She alerted in the previous month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the election.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but to date India has shown no willingness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disheartened," he continued.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this country."

The activist added that the punishment was not resolution for the families of those killed and injured.

"We support several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he stated.