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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity due to her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the disturbances last year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had requested tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, she expressed the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security ahead of the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the police spokesperson told media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 began with requests to remove state employment quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by media examinations earlier this year indicated she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those killed during the protests informed media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; that's why I am sad," he added.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this state."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not finality for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he expressed.