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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities stemming from her severe measures on protests led by students which led to her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted all charges, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was content of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection before the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and applauding as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative Jisanul Haque stated to media outlets.

The student-led uprising during 2024 started with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of others, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews earlier this year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, kin of those killed during the protests stated to media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the election.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her return but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; that's why I am sad," he continued.

Recently, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

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

The activist added that the sentence was not finality for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We assist multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from the former leader and the former hierarchy," he said.