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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her severe measures on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances last year.

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

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had demanded strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her government's record on individual freedoms.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection ahead of the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and cheering as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the authorities' representative told press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 commenced through calls to eliminate government job quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by external reviews in previous months suggested she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest informed media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

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

She alerted in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the vote.

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

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; that's why I am sad," he added.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

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

"The fury directed at Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed news organizations. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this country."

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

"We work with several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

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