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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity stemming from her harsh response on youth demonstrations which resulted in her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the disturbances during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Families of those killed and wounded had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, the former leader stated the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official Jisanul Haque told media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 began with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

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

The report documented the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by media examinations in previous months implied she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those who died in the demonstrations 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 "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the election.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disheartened," he stated further.

Recently, the defense attorneys 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 police chief.

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

"The fury directed at Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital informed media outlets. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not resolution for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.