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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity over her severe measures on protests led by students which led to her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom died during the turmoil last year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was content of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards prior to the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a recent spike in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative Jisanul Haque told press agencies.

The student-led uprising in the previous year began with demands to abolish state employment quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader authenticated by media examinations in previous months indicated she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

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

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has shown no willingness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disheartened," he stated further.

Recently, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told media outlets. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The activist added that the punishment was not resolution for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Hasina and the previous administration," he said.