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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities stemming from her crackdown on student-led protests which led to her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the disturbances last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled 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 the entire case, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a recent spike in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire 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 informed media outlets.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year began with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by media examinations earlier this year indicated she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest informed news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

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

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

After her departure, an temporary leadership headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is set for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the vote.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for both nations. Authorities have sought her return but to date India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; that's why I am sad," he added.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

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

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told news organizations. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this country."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not closure for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We support several people who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.