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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities over her crackdown on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the unrest last year.

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

Prosecutors accused her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and wounded had requested severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection before the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a recent spike in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the police spokesperson told press agencies.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 began with demands to abolish government job quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of others, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader authenticated by media examinations earlier this year indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the election.

This decision presents a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her repatriation but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

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

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am sad," he continued.

Recently, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital told news organizations. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this country."

The activist added that the penalty was not resolution for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, 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 increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he said.