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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her severe measures on protests led by students which resulted in her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had requested strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards before the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque informed press agencies.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 began with requests to remove state employment quotas but transformed 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 study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader authenticated by investigative sources in previous months suggested 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.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

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

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

After her departure, an interim government under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is set for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned last month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the ballot.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but to date India has shown no willingness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am sad," he added.

Recently, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her former home minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."

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

"We support multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Hasina and the old leadership," he said.