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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity stemming from her severe measures on student-led protests which caused her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the unrest last year.

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

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had demanded tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative stated to media outlets.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year commenced through calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the intentional injuring of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by external reviews in previous months indicated she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations told news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, 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 kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the ballot.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her repatriation but so far India has shown no willingness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; which is why I am disappointed," he added.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

While the sentence offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not closure for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.