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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity due to her harsh response on student-led protests which led to her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the turmoil during 2024.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had requested tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, Hasina said the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity 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 facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a recent spike in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative informed media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt last year commenced through demands to abolish state employment quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations during the current year indicated she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those killed during the protests stated to news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

After her departure, an caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the ballot.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but to date India has expressed no readiness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am sad," he stated further.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against the former leader and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not finality for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he said.