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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities over her crackdown on youth demonstrations which caused her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted all charges, 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. Relatives of the deceased and injured had called for tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, the former leader stated the death penalty was the caretaker administration'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 proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative Jisanul Haque informed news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through calls to eliminate state employment quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by external reviews in previous months implied she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest informed media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted last month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the election.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her repatriation but to date India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disappointed," he continued.

Last week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the Awami League has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this country."

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

"We assist multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from the former leader and the previous administration," he expressed.