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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities stemming from her harsh response on student-led protests which caused her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom died during the disturbances during 2024.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had requested severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards before the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson told press agencies.

The student-led uprising in the previous year commenced through demands to abolish government job quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews during the current year suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those who died in the demonstrations informed 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 her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

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".

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

Following her removal, an temporary leadership headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the ballot.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

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

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; which is why I am disheartened," he continued.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against 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 said sorry or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this state."

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

"We assist numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from the former leader and the previous administration," he stated.