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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity over her severe measures on youth demonstrations which caused her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the turmoil during 2024.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted all charges, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had demanded tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, the former leader stated the death penalty was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection prior to the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and applauding as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque informed 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.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of further participants, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by investigative sources in previous months suggested she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations told press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed 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 headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is planned for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the election.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. 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 cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; which is why I am sad," he added.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

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

While the sentence grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital informed media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this nation."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not resolution for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, 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 "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.