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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity over her severe measures on student-led protests which caused her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the disturbances last year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and harmed had requested strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the authorities' representative informed press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt last year started with requests to remove state employment quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by external reviews in previous months indicated she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those who died in the demonstrations informed press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead 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 husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

After her departure, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the vote.

This decision presents a international dilemma for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to agree.

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

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disappointed," he added.

Last week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

While the sentence grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not closure for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from the former leader and the previous administration," he expressed.