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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her harsh response on youth demonstrations which led to her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people died during the turmoil last year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Families of those killed and injured had called for severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection ahead of the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and cheering as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the police spokesperson told media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year commenced through demands to abolish government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "human rights atrocities".

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

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by external reviews during the current year indicated she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those killed during the protests told media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her repatriation but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; that's why I am disappointed," he stated further.

Recently, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital told news organizations. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this nation."

The activist added that the punishment was not finality for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We work with multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for the political faction 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 Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.