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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity over her crackdown on student-led protests which led to her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the unrest during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had requested tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, Hasina said the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

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

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and applauding as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque informed news organizations.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader verified by media examinations during the current year implied she had sanctioned 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 informed media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

After her departure, an temporary leadership led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

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

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disappointed," he continued.

The previous week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the her political party has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not finality for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he said.