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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity over her severe measures on student-led protests which led to her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the unrest last year.

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.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had requested severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was proud of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards prior to the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a notable rise in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the authorities' representative told media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year started with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by external reviews during the current year indicated she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those killed during the protests informed news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an interim government led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

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

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

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

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist told news organizations. "Both she and the organization has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not closure for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We support numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.