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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity due to her crackdown on student-led protests which led to her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the turmoil during 2024.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had demanded tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection before the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative told news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of others, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader confirmed by media examinations during the current year suggested she had sanctioned 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 who died in the demonstrations stated to press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted last month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disheartened," he continued.

Last week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this country."

The activist added that the punishment was not finality for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he said.