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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity over her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom died during the turmoil last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had called for strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection ahead of the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official Jisanul Haque informed media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt last year commenced through demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of further participants, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by media examinations in previous months implied she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

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

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

After her departure, an caretaker administration under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the election.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her return but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disappointed," he stated further.

Recently, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her former home minister and security forces head.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The anger against the former leader and the her political party has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not finality for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We support several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.