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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities over her crackdown on youth demonstrations which caused her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the turmoil during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and wounded had requested severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection prior to the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and celebrating as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative Jisanul Haque stated to news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year began with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of others, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by investigative sources during the current year suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest informed press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

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

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for both nations. Authorities have sought her extradition but until now India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

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

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; for that reason I am sad," he added.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this country."

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

"We support numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, 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 standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Hasina and the previous administration," he said.