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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her harsh response on protests led by students which caused her forced departure.

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

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had demanded tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security prior to the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a notable rise in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the authorities' representative told press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 began with requests to remove government job quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader verified by media examinations in previous months implied she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations told press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but to date India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disappointed," he continued.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told news organizations. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this country."

The activist added that the punishment was not resolution for the families of those killed and injured.

"We work with numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

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