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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity due to her crackdown on protests led by students which led to her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the turmoil during 2024.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had called for tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, 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 proud of her leadership's history on human rights.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards before the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a sudden increase in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative Jisanul Haque told news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 started with demands to abolish government job quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader confirmed by investigative sources during the current year indicated she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those killed during the protests told press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

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

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

Following her removal, an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; which is why I am disheartened," he added.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her former home minister and security forces head.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against the former leader and the Awami League has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed press agencies. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not finality for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.