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

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the disturbances during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and harmed had requested strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards ahead of the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative Jisanul Haque stated to news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 started with requests to remove government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of others, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader authenticated by external reviews during the current year implied she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, relatives of those killed during the protests told press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

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

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted last month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the election.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her extradition but until now India has shown no willingness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disappointed," he stated further.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this nation."

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

"We work with numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.