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

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the disturbances last year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had requested tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on human rights.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official Jisanul Haque informed press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 commenced through demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by media examinations earlier this year implied she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

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

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

After her departure, an caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to agree.

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

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; that's why I am sad," he continued.

The previous week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist told news organizations. "Both she and the organization has apologised or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty 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, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.