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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for atrocities over her harsh response on student-led protests which led to her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest in the previous year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and harmed had called for tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her government's record on human rights.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque informed media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt last year started with requests to remove state employment quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by investigative sources earlier this year indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those who died in the demonstrations informed media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others 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 "carried out before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

After her departure, an temporary leadership led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her return but until now India has shown no willingness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; that's why I am disheartened," he continued.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her ex-interior minister and police chief.

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 the former leader and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this state."

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

"We assist multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from the former leader and the previous administration," he expressed.