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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity due to her crackdown on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the turmoil in the previous year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Families of those killed and wounded had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security before the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and applauding as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a recent spike in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque told press agencies.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through requests to remove state employment quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of others, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by investigative sources in previous months suggested she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those killed during the protests informed press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, 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 exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

While the sentence grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against the former leader and the Awami League has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital informed media outlets. "The leader and her faction has apologised or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not resolution for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We support numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, 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 her party to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.