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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity over her crackdown on youth demonstrations which resulted in her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom died during the unrest in the previous year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had called for strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated 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 human rights.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards prior to the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and celebrating as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official Jisanul Haque stated to news organizations.

The student-led uprising last year began with requests to remove government job quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader authenticated by media examinations earlier this year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

After her departure, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; that's why I am sad," he stated further.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told press agencies. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this state."

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

"We assist several people who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Hasina and the previous administration," he said.