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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations over her harsh response on protests led by students which resulted in her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom died during the disturbances last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had called for strict sentences.

Responding to the decision 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 governing body and that she was satisfied of her government's record on human rights.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque told media outlets.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 commenced through calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of others, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by media examinations in previous months implied she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations told media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Following her removal, an interim government headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

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

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

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

While the sentence offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital informed news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this state."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not finality for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We support numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from the former leader and the old leadership," he expressed.