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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity over her crackdown on protests led by students which led to her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people died during the turmoil in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had requested tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security before the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and cheering as the judgment was announced.

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

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the police spokesperson informed news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year commenced through 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 around 1,400 fatalities could represent "human rights atrocities".

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

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews earlier this year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest informed news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment 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 temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the election.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disheartened," he continued.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

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

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told press agencies. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this country."

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

"We support numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon 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 regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from the former leader and the former hierarchy," he expressed.