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Bangladesh's former prime minister 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 demonstrators, 1,400 of whom died during the unrest last year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, Hasina said the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on individual freedoms.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a sudden increase in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the authorities' representative told news organizations.

The student-led uprising in the previous year started with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader authenticated by media examinations earlier this year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those killed during the protests informed press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

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

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disappointed," he added.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

Although the punishment offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the her political party has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The activist added that the penalty was not resolution for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We work with several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.