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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities over her severe measures on youth demonstrations which led to her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the turmoil during 2024.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted all charges, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Families of those killed and harmed had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on human rights.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards prior to the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a notable rise in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the police spokesperson told press agencies.

The student-led uprising last year commenced through calls to eliminate government job quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by external reviews earlier this year indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those who died in the demonstrations stated to press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the election.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for both nations. Authorities have sought her extradition but so far India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disappointed," he stated further.

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

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

Even though the verdict offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "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 assist multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the previous administration," he said.