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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity due to her severe measures on youth demonstrations which led to her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the unrest last year.

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

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and injured had requested severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection ahead of the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and celebrating as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a recent spike in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative told media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 commenced through demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of others, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources in previous months suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those killed during the protests stated to news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates 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 "carried out before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned last month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the vote.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but so far India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

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

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

Hasina was tried together with her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to press agencies. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not finality for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We support several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from the former leader and the former hierarchy," he expressed.