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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for atrocities over her harsh response on protests led by students which resulted in her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the disturbances during 2024.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her government's record on human rights.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, 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.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative informed news organizations.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year began with demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of others, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader authenticated by external reviews during the current year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, kin of those who died in the demonstrations told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

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

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

After her departure, an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted last month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disappointed," he continued.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

While the sentence grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

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

The activist added that the sentence was not resolution for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.