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

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the turmoil last year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque told press agencies.

The student-led uprising last year started with requests to remove government job quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of others, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those who died in the demonstrations informed press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership led by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her return but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disheartened," he stated further.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist told news organizations. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this country."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not finality for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.