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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 allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the disturbances last year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had demanded strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, Hasina said the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a sudden increase in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative told press agencies.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 began with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of others, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader authenticated by media examinations during the current year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest told press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the election.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

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

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

While the sentence offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "The leader and her faction has apologised or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this country."

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

"We work with several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.