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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations due to her harsh response on student-led protests which resulted in her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the disturbances last year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and wounded had called for strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, she expressed the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was content of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards ahead of the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson informed news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 began with requests to remove state employment quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by media examinations during the current year implied 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 told press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

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

She alerted in the previous month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

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

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

Last week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her ex-interior minister and police chief.

While the sentence grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not finality for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We support several people who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he expressed.