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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity stemming from her harsh response on protests led by students which led to her ousting.

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

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had requested tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and celebrating as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official Jisanul Haque informed media outlets.

The student-led uprising during 2024 started with demands to abolish government job quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by investigative sources during the current year implied she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest told media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

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

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

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

However, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the ballot.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; that's why I am sad," he added.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital told press agencies. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this state."

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

"We work with several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, 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 even more difficult" for her party to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.