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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity due to her harsh response on protests led by students which led to her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the unrest during 2024.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had demanded tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security ahead of the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the authorities' representative stated to press agencies.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year commenced through requests to remove public sector reservation policies but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews during the current year indicated she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those killed during the protests stated to news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured 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 find peace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the vote.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but to date India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disappointed," he stated further.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist told press agencies. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this state."

The activist added that the penalty was not resolution for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We assist multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he said.