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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity over her severe measures on protests led by students which led to her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people died during the unrest last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had called for severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a notable rise in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative stated to media outlets.

The protest movement led by students last year started with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources earlier this year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations informed news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

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

After her departure, an caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned last month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the election.

This decision presents a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but to date India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain 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 sad," he added.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed press agencies. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this state."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not finality for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from the former leader and the previous administration," he said.