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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity stemming from her harsh response on youth demonstrations which resulted in her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people died during the turmoil last year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Families of those killed and injured had requested severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her government's record on human rights.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year started with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the intentional injuring of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by investigative sources earlier this year indicated she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, family members of those who died in the demonstrations informed press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed 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 achieve closure in their souls."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is set for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned last month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the vote.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her extradition but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disheartened," he continued.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to press agencies. "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 most citizens in this country."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not resolution for the families of those killed and injured.

"We work with multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.