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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 caused her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest last year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, Hasina said the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her government's record on human rights.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards before 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 numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque informed media outlets.

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

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of further participants, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by media examinations during the current year suggested she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those killed during the protests told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

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

However, the her former political organization, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but to date India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

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

The former leader faced trial alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed media outlets. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this state."

The activist added that the sentence was not resolution for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We support several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.