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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities over her crackdown on protests led by students which led to her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people died during the unrest during 2024.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had requested strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was content of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security prior to the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and applauding as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a notable rise in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative Jisanul Haque stated to media outlets.

The student-led uprising during 2024 began with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but morphed 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 paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of others, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by external reviews in previous months suggested she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations told press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

Following her removal, an interim government under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is planned for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned last month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but so far India has shown no willingness to agree.

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

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am sad," he stated further.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital informed media outlets. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this country."

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

"We support several people who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from the former leader and the former hierarchy," he stated.