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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities stemming from her severe measures on youth demonstrations which caused her ousting.

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

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

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection prior to the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and cheering as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a sudden increase in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative Jisanul Haque told press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt last year began with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader authenticated by media examinations in previous months implied she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, relatives of those killed during the protests informed news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused 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 her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the election.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

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

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her former home minister and security forces head.

While the sentence grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed news organizations. "Both she and the organization has apologised or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this country."

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

"We work with several people who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from the former leader and the old leadership," he expressed.