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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her crackdown on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people died during the unrest in the previous year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had called for strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was proud of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection ahead of the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a notable rise in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative told media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year started with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

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

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of others, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by media examinations during the current year implied she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those who died in the demonstrations told media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

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

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Following her removal, an interim government under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

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

She alerted last month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness to comply.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told press agencies. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not closure for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

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