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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity due to her crackdown on youth demonstrations which led to her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the unrest last year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, 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 content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the authorities' representative stated to media outlets.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 began with demands to abolish government job quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by investigative sources earlier this year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those killed during the protests informed news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disappointed," he added.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this country."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not resolution for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We assist multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive 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 regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.