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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities over her severe measures on protests led by students which resulted in her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the turmoil in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

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

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, she expressed the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection before the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the police spokesperson stated to press agencies.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 commenced through requests to remove government job quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by investigative sources during the current year suggested she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, relatives of those killed during the protests informed news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

After her departure, an temporary leadership under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the election.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her return but to date India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

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

Recently, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

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

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this country."

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

"We assist numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a regular participant 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 expressed.