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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity over her severe measures on youth demonstrations which resulted in her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the turmoil in the previous year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted all charges, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the death penalty was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards prior to the verdict 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.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson told press agencies.

The protest movement led by students last year began with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of others, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews earlier this year implied she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those who died in the demonstrations stated to press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose husband was killed 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 souls."

After her departure, an temporary leadership led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was banned 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 forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the election.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but so far India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

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

Last week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her former home minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

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

The activist added that the sentence was not closure for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist several people who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.