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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity due to her harsh response on student-led protests which caused her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the unrest last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and applauding as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the police spokesperson informed media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year commenced through demands to abolish state employment quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by media examinations in previous months suggested she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, kin 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 "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

After her departure, an temporary leadership led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted last month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the ballot.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her return but so far India has shown no willingness to agree.

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 represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disappointed," he continued.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her former home minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist told news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not finality for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We support multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he stated.