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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity over her harsh response on student-led protests which led to her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest in the previous year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had requested strict sentences.

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

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security ahead of the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and cheering as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque told news organizations.

The student-led uprising during 2024 began with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of others, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by investigative sources in previous months suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those who died in the demonstrations stated to news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" 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 "executed before the election".

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

Following her removal, an temporary leadership under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the election.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; that's why I am disheartened," he continued.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her former home minister and police chief.

Although the punishment offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this country."

The activist added that the sentence was not resolution for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support 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."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from the former leader and the previous administration," he said.