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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her severe measures on protests led by students which led to her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Court 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. The former leader rejected the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and injured had requested severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was proud of her government's record on human rights.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security prior to the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the authorities' representative informed news organizations.

The student-led uprising last year started with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources earlier this year indicated she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest informed press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

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

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

After her departure, an interim government under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but to date India has shown no willingness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am sad," he continued.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her previous domestic affairs official 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 state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the her political party has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital told media outlets. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this country."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not finality for the families of those killed and injured.

"We assist numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he said.