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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity over her crackdown on student-led protests which caused her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom died during the disturbances in the previous year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Families of those killed and wounded had requested strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the death penalty was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection ahead of the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a sudden increase in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the authorities' representative informed news organizations.

The student-led uprising during 2024 started with requests to remove government job quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of others, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader confirmed by investigative sources earlier this year implied she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those killed during the protests stated to press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

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

Following her removal, an interim government headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is set for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned last month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the election.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but until now India has shown no willingness to comply.

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

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disheartened," he added.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her former home minister and police chief.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The anger against the former leader and the her political party has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to news organizations. "Both she and the organization has apologised or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this country."

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

"We assist numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.