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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 led to her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the turmoil in the previous year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the special international tribunal 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 multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, Hasina said the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was content of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a recent spike in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque told media outlets.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through requests to remove government job quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews in previous months indicated she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those killed during the protests stated to press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted last month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the election.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but to date India has expressed no readiness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; that's why I am sad," he continued.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the her political party has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told news organizations. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this country."

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

"We work with numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for Awami League 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.