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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations due to her severe measures on youth demonstrations which caused her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people died during the disturbances last year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and wounded had requested strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the authorities' representative stated to media outlets.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 started with demands to abolish government job quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by investigative sources in previous months implied she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest informed press outlets 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 the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

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

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

After her departure, an temporary leadership headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but so far India has shown no willingness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disheartened," he stated further.

The previous week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital told news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this nation."

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

"We assist numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.