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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations due to her severe measures on protests led by students which led to her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the unrest last year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence 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 individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection prior to the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the authorities' representative informed news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 started with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of others, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by investigative sources earlier this year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations informed media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

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 kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned during the past month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the vote.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

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

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disappointed," he continued.

Recently, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

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

Although the punishment offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the Awami League has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital informed press agencies. "The leader and her faction has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this state."

The activist added that the sentence was not finality for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from the former leader and the old leadership," he expressed.