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

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the disturbances last year.

Hasina was tried without her presence 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 the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted all charges, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had demanded strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, the former leader stated the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was proud of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection prior to the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official Jisanul Haque stated to news organizations.

The student-led uprising last year started with demands to abolish state employment quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by external reviews during the current year suggested she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those who died in the demonstrations told news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

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

Nevertheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the ballot.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her repatriation but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disappointed," he stated further.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her former home minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist told news organizations. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not finality for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.