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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity over her crackdown on student-led protests which led to her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and wounded had called for tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security before the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the police spokesperson told media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year commenced through demands to abolish 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 "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader verified by media examinations in previous months implied she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those killed during the protests told news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted last month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the election.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her return but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; which is why I am disheartened," he continued.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

Although the punishment offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told press agencies. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not closure for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We assist multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. 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 her party to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.