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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations stemming from her severe measures on protests led by students which caused her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the death penalty was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative stated to media outlets.

The student-led uprising last year started with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader authenticated by external reviews earlier this year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those killed during the protests stated to press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

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

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned last month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the ballot.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but to date India has expressed no readiness to comply.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am sad," he added.

The previous week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her former home minister and security forces head.

While the sentence offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this nation."

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

"We assist several people who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.