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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations over her severe measures on protests led by students which caused her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the turmoil during 2024.

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

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and wounded had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, she expressed the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and celebrating as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a sudden increase 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 authorities' representative told press agencies.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by investigative sources earlier this year indicated she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

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

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

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

Following her removal, an caretaker administration under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but to date India has shown no willingness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disappointed," he continued.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her former home minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to media outlets. "The leader and her faction has apologised or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this country."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not resolution for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he said.