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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity stemming from her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the disturbances last year.

The trial proceeded without her presence 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 behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and wounded had called for severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection prior to the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative Jisanul Haque stated to media outlets.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through requests to remove government job quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of further participants, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated 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 proceedings.

Before the decision, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest informed press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

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

After her departure, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the ballot.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disheartened," he stated further.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

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

"The anger against Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to media outlets. "The leader and her faction has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this country."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not finality for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We work with numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from the former leader and the previous administration," he stated.