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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity over her severe measures on youth demonstrations which caused her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the turmoil last year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Families of those killed and wounded had requested severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her government's record on civil liberties.

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

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a notable rise in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative told media outlets.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 began with requests to remove government job quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by external reviews in previous months suggested she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, family members of those who died in the demonstrations stated to press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Following her removal, an interim government headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the election.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disappointed," he continued.

Recently, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

While the sentence offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital informed press agencies. "The leader and her faction has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this nation."

The activist added that the sentence was not finality for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the former hierarchy," he stated.