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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her severe measures on protests led by students which resulted in her removal from power.

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

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and injured had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, Hasina said the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection prior to the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a sudden increase in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative Jisanul Haque told press agencies.

The student-led uprising in the previous year began with demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader verified by external reviews earlier this year implied she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those killed during the protests stated to press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is set for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the vote.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her return but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; which is why I am disheartened," he added.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

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 Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

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

The advocate continued that the penalty was not finality for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he said.