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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities due to her crackdown on youth demonstrations which resulted in her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the turmoil during 2024.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted all charges, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Families of those killed and wounded had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection before the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the authorities' representative stated to media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year began with 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 represent "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews in previous months indicated she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those who died in the demonstrations told media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

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

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

After her departure, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned last month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the ballot.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her return but to date India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disappointed," he continued.

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

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist told press agencies. "Both she and the organization has apologised or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this country."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not finality for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We work with several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.