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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities over her harsh response on protests led by students which resulted in her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the unrest during 2024.

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

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Families of those killed and injured had requested severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative Jisanul Haque told news organizations.

The student-led uprising in the previous year started with demands to abolish government job quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader verified by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those killed during the protests told media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

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

However, the Awami League, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

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

Recently, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

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

"The resentment towards Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to news organizations. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not finality for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We work with numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.