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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations due to her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had demanded severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, Hasina said the death penalty was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her leadership's history on human rights.

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

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards before the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and applauding as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a notable rise in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the authorities' representative told news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt last year started with demands to abolish 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 amount to "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by media examinations earlier this year implied she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those killed during the protests informed press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the ballot.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her extradition but to date India has expressed no readiness to agree.

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

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disappointed," he added.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the Awami League has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this nation."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not closure for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.