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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her harsh response on protests led by students which resulted in her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the unrest during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

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

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection prior to the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the police spokesperson told press agencies.

The student-led uprising in the previous year started with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews earlier this year suggested she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest informed news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

After her departure, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the ballot.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her return but until now India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

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

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

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her former home minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told media outlets. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not finality for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. 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 even more difficult" for her party to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.