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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her harsh response on student-led protests which caused her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances last year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the execution sentence was the temporary leadership'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 have no trepidation to face my accusers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection ahead of the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a sudden increase in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque stated to media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt last year started with demands to abolish state employment quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations in previous months suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations informed news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is set for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the ballot.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for both nations. Authorities have sought her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am sad," he added.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

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

The activist added 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 currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from the former leader and the previous administration," he stated.