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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for atrocities stemming from her harsh response on youth demonstrations which resulted in her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the turmoil last year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had requested strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, 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 casualties reported, regional security representative the police spokesperson told press agencies.

The student-led uprising during 2024 commenced through requests to remove state employment quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of others, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by investigative sources in previous months indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, kin of those who died in the demonstrations told media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

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 "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

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

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

After her departure, an temporary leadership led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is set for February 2026.

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

She alerted last month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the election.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; which is why I am sad," he added.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the Awami League 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 fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this state."

The activist added that the sentence was not finality for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he said.