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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities over her severe measures on student-led protests which led to her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the unrest in the previous year.

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

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and harmed had demanded severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, she expressed the death penalty was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] 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 just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and applauding as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the time before 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 stated to press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 began with demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader verified by investigative sources during the current year implied she had approved 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 fatally injured in the unrest told media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is set for February 2026.

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

She alerted in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but until now India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her former home minister and security forces head.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this state."

The activist added that the punishment was not resolution for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.