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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her crackdown on student-led protests which caused her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances during 2024.

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

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had requested severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, Hasina said the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection before the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson stated to news organizations.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 began with demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the intentional injuring of others, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources in previous months implied she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

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

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

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

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but to date India has shown no willingness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer 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 stated further.

Recently, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

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

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not closure for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We support multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from the former leader and the former hierarchy," he expressed.