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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her severe measures on protests led by students which caused her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the turmoil last year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and harmed had demanded strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the authorities' representative told news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 started with requests to remove government job quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

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 firing at close quarters of some protesters, the intentional injuring of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader verified by media examinations during the current year implied she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest told media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is planned for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; that's why I am sad," he added.

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

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

Although the punishment grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this nation."

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

"We support multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.