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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities stemming from her crackdown on protests led by students which led to her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people died during the turmoil in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Families of those killed and injured had demanded tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection ahead of the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded 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 casualties reported, regional security representative the police spokesperson told press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year began with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of others, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader verified by media examinations earlier this year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations informed media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

After her departure, an temporary leadership headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the election.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disheartened," he continued.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told media outlets. "The leader and her faction has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this nation."

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

"We support numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with the former leader and the former hierarchy," he stated.