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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity due to her harsh response on protests led by students which led to her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the unrest last year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her government's record on civil liberties.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection ahead of the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson stated to media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 began with requests to remove government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by media examinations in previous months suggested she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

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

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

After her departure, an caretaker administration under the guidance of 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 caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the ballot.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her return but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer 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 stated further.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital informed press agencies. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this country."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not finality for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, 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 standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from the former leader and the old leadership," he stated.