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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities stemming from her harsh response on protests led by students which led to her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the turmoil during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" 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 examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson informed press agencies.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 started with requests to remove government job quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews during the current year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Before the decision, family members of those who died in the demonstrations told press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

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

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

After her departure, an temporary leadership led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

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

She alerted last month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the ballot.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"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 submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to media outlets. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not closure for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.