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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities over her crackdown on youth demonstrations which led to her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people died during the disturbances during 2024.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and wounded had called for strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson stated to press agencies.

The student-led uprising last year commenced through calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader authenticated by investigative sources in previous months implied she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those who died in the demonstrations stated to press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

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

Following her removal, an temporary leadership led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is planned for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her return but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

Recently, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

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

While the sentence grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has apologised or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this nation."

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

"We assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.