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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity stemming from her severe measures on student-led protests which caused her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people were killed 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 after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and wounded had requested severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security prior to the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a notable rise in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque stated to news organizations.

The student-led uprising in the previous year started with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of others, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews in previous months suggested she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those who died in the demonstrations informed 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".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership led by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted last month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her return but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am sad," he added.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this nation."

The activist added that the penalty was not finality for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We support several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, 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 Awami League to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.