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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity due to her crackdown on youth demonstrations which led to her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom died during the disturbances during 2024.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Families of those killed and wounded had requested strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, she expressed the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was proud of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards before the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and applauding as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque stated to news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year began with requests to remove state employment quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by investigative sources in previous months implied she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest told press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

After her departure, an interim government led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the ballot.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but so far India has shown no willingness 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 clients are absent; that's why I am disheartened," he continued.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

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

Although the punishment offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not finality for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We support multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

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