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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her severe measures on protests led by students which resulted in her forced departure.

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

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had called for severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, Hasina said the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her government's record on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a notable rise in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official Jisanul Haque stated to media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year began with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews during the current year suggested she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates 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 "implemented before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

After her departure, an caretaker administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is set for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her return but to date India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

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

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disappointed," he continued.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist told press agencies. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not resolution for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We work with multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.