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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her crackdown on protests led by students which resulted in her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the disturbances during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had requested tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson stated to news organizations.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 started with requests to remove government job quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations during the current year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those killed during the protests stated to media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

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

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

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

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disappointed," he stated further.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital informed press agencies. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this state."

The activist added that the penalty was not resolution for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We support numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

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