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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for atrocities stemming from her crackdown on youth demonstrations which caused her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the unrest last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted 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.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and harmed had requested strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection ahead of the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year started with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the intentional injuring of others, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by media examinations in previous months indicated she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

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

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for both nations. Authorities have sought her return but until now India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; which is why I am disappointed," he continued.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

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

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital told news organizations. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this nation."

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

"We assist multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, 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 might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he expressed.