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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity due to her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the turmoil in the previous year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection ahead of the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded 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 no casualties reported, local police official Jisanul Haque informed media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 commenced through calls to eliminate state employment quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

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

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources during the current year suggested she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

After her departure, an caretaker administration under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is planned for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the election.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but to date India has shown no willingness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am sad," he added.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed media outlets. "The leader and her faction has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this state."

The activist added that the penalty was not resolution for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

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