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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her crackdown on youth demonstrations which resulted in her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her government's record on civil liberties.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security ahead of the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a notable rise in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative stated to press agencies.

The student-led uprising in the previous year commenced through demands to abolish government job quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of others, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader confirmed by investigative sources during the current year implied she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

After her departure, an temporary leadership under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but so far India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disappointed," he added.

Recently, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

While the sentence offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not resolution for the families of those killed and injured.

"We assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon 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 standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he said.