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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her harsh response on protests led by students which caused her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the disturbances last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence 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 the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Families of those killed and wounded had called for tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security prior to the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a sudden increase in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson informed news organizations.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year started with calls to eliminate government job quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader authenticated by media examinations in previous months indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those killed during the protests stated to media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the vote.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Authorities have sought her return but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; for that reason I am sad," he stated further.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her former home minister and security forces head.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this nation."

The activist added that the penalty was not resolution for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We support multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Hasina and the old leadership," he said.