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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 ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people died during the disturbances last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official Jisanul Haque informed news organizations.

The student-led uprising last year started with demands to abolish government job quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of further participants, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader verified by investigative sources earlier this year implied she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, family members of those who died in the demonstrations stated to news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds 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".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but until now India has shown no willingness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disheartened," he continued.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital told press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not resolution for the families of those killed and injured.

"We assist numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.