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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities over her severe measures on youth demonstrations which led to her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the turmoil in the previous year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted all charges, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had demanded tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

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

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

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the authorities' representative told media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year commenced through requests to remove state employment quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations earlier this year implied she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose husband was killed 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."

After her departure, an interim government headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but to date India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disappointed," he continued.

Recently, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the Awami League has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to news organizations. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this country."

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

"We assist several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, 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 Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.