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

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the unrest in the previous year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Families of those killed and wounded had requested strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security prior to the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and applauding as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

The student-led uprising last year commenced through calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of others, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by media examinations earlier this year indicated she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those who died in the demonstrations informed press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

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

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

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

However, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

This decision presents a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

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

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; which is why I am sad," he added.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her former home minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to press agencies. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not resolution for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he stated.