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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities stemming from her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the turmoil during 2024.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and wounded had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, Hasina said the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards before the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and cheering as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a notable rise in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the police spokesperson stated to media outlets.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year began with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by external reviews in previous months indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those who died in the demonstrations stated to media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

After her departure, an caretaker administration headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the vote.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disheartened," he continued.

The previous week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this country."

The activist added that the punishment was not finality for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.