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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity stemming from her severe measures on student-led protests which caused her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people died during the turmoil last year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office 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".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and injured had requested strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and applauding as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a notable rise in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the police spokesperson stated to news organizations.

The student-led uprising during 2024 started with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by media examinations earlier this year implied she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned last month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the ballot.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her repatriation but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disappointed," he added.

The previous week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not closure for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.