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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations due to her crackdown on student-led protests which resulted in her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest in the previous year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, 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 government's record on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and cheering as the verdict was read.

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

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the authorities' representative told media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year started with calls to eliminate government job quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader authenticated by external reviews during the current year indicated she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those who died in the demonstrations stated to press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

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

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned last month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

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

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital told news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not resolution for the kin 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."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.