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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity due to her severe measures on protests led by students which caused her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was content of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security ahead of the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a sudden increase in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative Jisanul Haque informed news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt last year started with demands to abolish government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of others, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews earlier this year suggested she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those who died in the demonstrations told media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the election.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her return but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal 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 serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

While the sentence offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital informed media outlets. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this country."

The activist added that the punishment was not closure for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.