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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities stemming from her harsh response on student-led protests which resulted in her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom died during the unrest in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her government's record on human rights.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security prior to the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally 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 recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official Jisanul Haque informed press agencies.

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

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by external reviews during the current year implied she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those killed during the protests informed news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

After her departure, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted last month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Authorities have sought her extradition but until now India has expressed no readiness to agree.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disappointed," he added.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The anger against the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to news organizations. "Both she and the organization has apologised or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this nation."

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

"We assist numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from the former leader and the former hierarchy," he said.