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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity over her crackdown on student-led protests which led to her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the turmoil during 2024.

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.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and harmed had requested tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards prior to the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a notable rise in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year commenced through requests to remove state employment quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews during the current year suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations told media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political 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 banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the election.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; that's why I am sad," he added.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict 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 decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital informed news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this country."

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

"We work with several people who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Hasina and the previous administration," he said.