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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity stemming from her severe measures on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people died during the turmoil during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards prior to the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the authorities' representative stated to news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year began with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of others, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by external reviews in previous months implied she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those killed during the protests stated to media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the ballot.

This decision presents a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

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

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am sad," he added.

Recently, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed press agencies. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this nation."

The activist added that the punishment was not resolution for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We assist multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, 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 Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from the former leader and the former hierarchy," he expressed.