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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity over her severe measures on student-led protests which led to her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the unrest last year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security before the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a notable rise in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative informed media outlets.

The student-led uprising last year started with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews during the current year suggested she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest informed news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted last month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disheartened," he added.

Recently, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to press agencies. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this country."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not closure for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We support several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon 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 Awami League to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.