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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities stemming from her severe measures on youth demonstrations which caused her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people died during the unrest during 2024.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had demanded tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security ahead of the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque stated to media outlets.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 commenced through calls to eliminate state employment quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by media examinations during the current year indicated she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, family members of those killed during the protests informed news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

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

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

Nonetheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her extradition but until now India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

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

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told news organizations. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this state."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not closure for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with several people who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.