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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity stemming from her crackdown on protests led by students which caused her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the turmoil during 2024.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

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

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection ahead of the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and applauding as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through calls to eliminate government job quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews during the current year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those killed during the protests informed news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the election.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but to date India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

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

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

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this nation."

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

"We assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.