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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity due to her crackdown on student-led protests which led to her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the unrest last year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a critical juncture 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, Hasina said the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson informed media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year started with requests to remove state employment quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by external reviews earlier this year indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

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

After her departure, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the vote.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Authorities have sought her return but until now India has expressed no readiness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disheartened," he added.

Recently, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her former home minister and police chief.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the Awami League has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to news organizations. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The activist added that the punishment was not finality for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We support several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

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