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

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people died during the turmoil in the previous year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had called for tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

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

The city has seen a sudden increase in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative Jisanul Haque informed media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year commenced through requests to remove government job quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by media examinations in previous months indicated she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Before the decision, relatives of those killed during the protests informed news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the election.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but so far India has shown no willingness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; which is why I am sad," he added.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed press agencies. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this state."

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

"We work with multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, 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 country's governance system again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.