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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her crackdown on student-led protests which led to her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the turmoil last year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her government's record on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security ahead of the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and celebrating as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in turmoil, 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 casualties reported, regional security representative Jisanul Haque stated to news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through calls to eliminate government job quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources in previous months suggested she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those who died in the demonstrations informed news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

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

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but so far India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disheartened," he stated further.

The previous week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

While the sentence grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not closure for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with 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, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.