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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for atrocities stemming from her harsh response on youth demonstrations which resulted in her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom died during the turmoil in the previous year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had requested strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection ahead of the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and applauding as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a notable rise in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative Jisanul Haque told press agencies.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 started with requests to remove government job quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations during the current year suggested she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those killed during the protests stated to media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

After her departure, an caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the election.

This decision presents a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but until now India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disappointed," he continued.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

While the sentence offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

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

The advocate continued that the sentence was not finality for the families of those killed and injured.

"We work with several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.