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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations due to her crackdown on youth demonstrations which led to her ousting.

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

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

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and injured had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection prior to the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and cheering as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year began with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of others, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by media examinations in previous months indicated she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, kin of those killed during the protests told media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

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

She alerted last month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the ballot.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am sad," he stated further.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital told media outlets. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this country."

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

"We support several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.