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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for atrocities stemming from her severe measures on protests led by students which resulted in her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the disturbances during 2024.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had called for severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards prior to the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque told news organizations.

The student-led uprising during 2024 began with requests to remove state employment quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the intentional injuring of others, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources earlier this year implied she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, family members of those who died in the demonstrations stated to media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

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

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

After her departure, an temporary leadership led by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but so far India has expressed no readiness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; that's why I am sad," he added.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her former home minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this country."

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

"We support multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon 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 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 the former leader and the former hierarchy," he stated.