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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people died during the disturbances in the previous year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Families of those killed and injured had called for tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security 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 sudden increase in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque stated to media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year started with demands to abolish government job quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of others, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader verified by external reviews earlier this year implied she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest told press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Following her removal, an interim government led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

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

She alerted last month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the vote.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but until now India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am sad," he added.

Recently, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

While the sentence grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has apologised or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this country."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not closure for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with several people who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Hasina and the previous administration," he said.