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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity due to her crackdown on youth demonstrations which led to her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the unrest last year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and injured had called for severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, she expressed the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security before the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and applauding as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a recent spike in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative informed news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year began with requests to remove government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

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

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of others, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader confirmed by media examinations in previous months implied she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

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

Following her removal, an interim government under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for both nations. Authorities have sought her repatriation but to date India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; for that reason I am sad," he stated further.

Recently, 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.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital told press agencies. "The leader and her faction has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this nation."

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

"We assist several people who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he stated.