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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities stemming from her severe measures on protests led by students which resulted in her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the unrest in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had demanded tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security prior to the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative told media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year commenced through calls to eliminate state employment quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources during the current year suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" 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 stated to press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

After her departure, an interim government led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disappointed," he stated further.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her former home minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka 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 "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not resolution for the families of those killed and injured.

"We assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.