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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations stemming from her severe measures on student-led protests which caused her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the turmoil in the previous year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had demanded strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, she expressed the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a notable rise in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative Jisanul Haque told media outlets.

The student-led uprising last year commenced through calls to eliminate government job quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of others, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by investigative sources earlier this year implied she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

After her departure, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a international dilemma for both nations. Authorities have sought her repatriation but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am sad," he continued.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

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 resentment towards Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "The leader and her faction has apologised or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this country."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not finality for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, 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 particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

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