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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities stemming from her severe measures on student-led protests which caused her ousting.

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

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security before the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a notable rise in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed press agencies.

The student-led uprising last year commenced through requests to remove public sector reservation policies but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by media examinations earlier this year implied she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest told press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

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

She alerted in the previous month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the election.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her return but until now India has expressed no readiness to comply.

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

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am sad," he stated further.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

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

"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. "The leader and her faction has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not resolution for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We work with multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.