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The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for human rights violations due to her crackdown on youth demonstrations which led to her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the unrest in the previous year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had called for severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection ahead of the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque told news organizations.

The student-led uprising in the previous year started with calls to eliminate government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by media examinations earlier this year implied she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those killed during the protests stated to media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

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

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

After her departure, an interim government under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

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

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but so far India has shown no willingness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; which is why I am disappointed," he continued.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

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

"The anger against the former leader and the Awami League has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital informed press agencies. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this nation."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not closure for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

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

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he expressed.