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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity stemming from her harsh response on protests led by students which resulted in her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted all charges, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Families of those killed and harmed had requested severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque informed media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year started with requests to remove government job quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by media examinations earlier this year indicated she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those killed during the protests stated to media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

After her departure, an interim government headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the ballot.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but to date India has expressed no readiness to agree.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am sad," he stated further.

Last week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this nation."

The activist added that the punishment was not finality for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We assist multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" 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 disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.