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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities stemming from her severe measures on protests led by students which led to her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the turmoil during 2024.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Families of those killed and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and cheering as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the authorities' representative stated to news organizations.

The student-led uprising during 2024 started with requests to remove state employment quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

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

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" 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 informed press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an interim government under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

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

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disheartened," he continued.

Recently, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

Although the punishment grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe 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 apologised or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not closure for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.