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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity due to her harsh response on student-led protests which resulted in her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the disturbances during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Families of those killed and harmed had requested severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and applauding as the verdict was read.

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

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative Jisanul Haque told media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations in previous months suggested she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, kin of those killed during the protests told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

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

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her extradition but until now India has shown no willingness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disappointed," he added.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The anger against the former leader and the her political party has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not resolution for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist numerous persons 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 "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from the former leader and the old leadership," he stated.