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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her harsh response on student-led protests which led to her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the turmoil last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and injured had demanded severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a sudden increase in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded 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 informed press agencies.

The student-led uprising during 2024 began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by external reviews in previous months implied she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin 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 "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

A different family member, 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 achieve closure in their souls."

After her departure, an interim government led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is set for February 2026.

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

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the vote.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has shown no willingness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disheartened," he continued.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

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

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital told media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this state."

The activist added that the punishment was not finality for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he said.