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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity over her harsh response on protests led by students which resulted in her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the disturbances in the previous year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had called for strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I do not fear 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 enhanced protection before the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a recent spike in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson told media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year started with demands to abolish government job quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her return but until now India has shown no willingness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; that's why I am disappointed," he stated further.

Recently, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

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

While the sentence provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this nation."

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

"We support numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.