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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities over her crackdown on student-led protests which caused her removal from power.

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

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had demanded tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, Hasina said the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and celebrating as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

The student-led uprising last year started with requests to remove government job quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of others, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by external reviews earlier this year indicated she had authorized 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 stated to media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose spouse died 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 minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her repatriation but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disappointed," he added.

The previous week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has apologised or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this state."

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

"We work with numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

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