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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations due to her crackdown on protests led by students which resulted in her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had requested severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and applauding as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the authorities' representative informed news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 started with demands to abolish government job quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by investigative sources earlier this year indicated she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations stated to press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the vote.

This decision presents a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her repatriation but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disheartened," he added.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

While the sentence provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed news organizations. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this state."

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

"We assist numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.