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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her crackdown on youth demonstrations which resulted in her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had called for tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was content of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a sudden increase in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official Jisanul Haque told media outlets.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year commenced through calls to eliminate government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by external reviews during the current year indicated she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those who died in the demonstrations told news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

After her departure, an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for both nations. Authorities have sought her repatriation but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am sad," he added.

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

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

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

"The fury directed at the former leader and the Awami League has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to news organizations. "Both she and the organization has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this nation."

The advocate continued 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 currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from the former leader and the former hierarchy," he expressed.