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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 youth demonstrations which caused her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the unrest in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had demanded tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, she expressed the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative Jisanul Haque told news organizations.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 commenced through requests to remove state employment quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

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

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disheartened," he continued.

Recently, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her former home minister and police chief.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this state."

The activist added that the punishment was not resolution for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.