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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for atrocities over her severe measures on youth demonstrations which led to her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a notable rise in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the authorities' representative informed press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt last year started with requests to remove state employment quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by media examinations in previous months suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" 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 the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

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

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

After her departure, an temporary leadership headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the vote.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disheartened," he continued.

The previous week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

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

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to media outlets. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this nation."

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

"We work with several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

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