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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity due to her severe measures on youth demonstrations which led to her removal from power.

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

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

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

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had called for tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and celebrating as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the authorities' representative stated to press agencies.

The student-led uprising last year commenced through requests to remove state employment quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by external reviews during the current year implied she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the election.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but to date India has shown no willingness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disappointed," he added.

Recently, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her former home minister and police chief.

While the sentence grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the her political party has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this country."

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

"We work with numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he stated.