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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity stemming from her crackdown on student-led protests which resulted in her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people died during the unrest last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and harmed had requested tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security prior to the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the authorities' representative informed media outlets.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year started with requests to remove state employment quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of others, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by investigative sources during the current year suggested she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, relatives of those killed during the protests told news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

After her departure, an interim government headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned last month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the election.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her return but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disheartened," he added.

Recently, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence offers some closure to relatives of the deceased 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 diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital informed media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this country."

The activist added that the penalty was not finality for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We work with numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.