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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities stemming from her crackdown on youth demonstrations which resulted in her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the disturbances during 2024.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had requested severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security prior to the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative Jisanul Haque told press agencies.

The student-led uprising last year commenced through demands to abolish government job quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the intentional injuring of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader authenticated by investigative sources during the current year suggested she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest informed media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

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

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned last month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the vote.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am sad," he stated further.

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

Hasina was tried alongside her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to media outlets. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this state."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not closure for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist several people who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from the former leader and the old leadership," he stated.