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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity due to her crackdown on youth demonstrations which led to her ousting.

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.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was content of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection before the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and celebrating as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a recent spike in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

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

The protest movement led by students in the previous year commenced through calls to eliminate government job quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of others, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

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

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those killed during the protests informed press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

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".

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

Following her removal, an interim government led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but to date India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

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

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am sad," he continued.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has apologised or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this state."

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

"We support multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he expressed.