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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities over her harsh response on youth demonstrations which resulted in her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom died during the disturbances during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and wounded had called for tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, Hasina said the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson informed news organizations.

The student-led uprising in the previous year began with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by media examinations in previous months implied she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those killed during the protests told news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, 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".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

After her departure, an temporary leadership headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the ballot.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disappointed," he added.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not closure for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he said.