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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity stemming from her crackdown on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

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

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, Hasina said the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative Jisanul Haque stated to news organizations.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 commenced through demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by media examinations during the current year implied she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

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

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Another relative, 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 hearts."

Following her removal, an interim government headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

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

She alerted during the past month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the ballot.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but to date India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disappointed," he continued.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her former home minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this country."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not resolution for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he said.