The nation of Bangladesh's Ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Given to Death

The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity over her harsh response on student-led protests which caused her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances last year.

The trial proceeded in absentia 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 the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, 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. Families of those killed and wounded had called for strict sentences.

Answering the judgment 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 do not fear to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards ahead of the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and cheering as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the police spokesperson informed media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year commenced through requests to remove government job quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by external reviews in previous months implied she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

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

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

After her departure, an caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is set for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the election.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for both nations. Authorities have sought her return but to date India has shown no willingness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disheartened," he added.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital informed media outlets. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this state."

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

"We support several people who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from the former leader and the previous administration," he said.