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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her crackdown on youth demonstrations which led to her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people died during the disturbances in the previous year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had demanded severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection ahead of the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the police spokesperson told press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt last year started with demands to abolish government job quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of others, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by investigative sources in previous months indicated 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 who died in the demonstrations informed media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

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

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the election.

This decision presents a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her return but to date India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am sad," he continued.

Recently, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

While the sentence grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital told news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

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

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not resolution for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We support numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.