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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities over her severe measures on student-led protests which caused her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest during 2024.

Hasina was tried 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 hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative informed press agencies.

The student-led uprising during 2024 began with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of others, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews in previous months implied she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest informed news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

After her departure, an caretaker administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

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

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for both nations. Authorities have sought her extradition but to date India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disheartened," he stated further.

The previous week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

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

"The anger against the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this country."

The activist added that the penalty was not closure for the families of those killed and injured.

"We work with numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from the former leader and the previous administration," he stated.