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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 caused her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the turmoil during 2024.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had requested strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, Hasina said the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her government's record on human rights.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security before the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a notable rise in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson informed press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 started with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by media examinations in previous months suggested she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest informed press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty 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."

Following her removal, an interim government led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned last month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition 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 outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; that's why I am sad," he added.

Recently, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to news organizations. "Both she and the organization has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not resolution for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We support multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.