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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her crackdown on youth demonstrations which caused her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest in the previous year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a fair court 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 many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and applauding as the verdict was read.

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

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque told news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 commenced through demands to abolish government job quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by external reviews earlier this year implied she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those who died in the demonstrations stated to press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the election.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her return but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disappointed," he added.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her former home minister and security forces head.

While the sentence grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed press agencies. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

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

The advocate continued that the penalty was not resolution for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We support numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

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