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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for atrocities over her harsh response on student-led protests which resulted in her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the turmoil during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in 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, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security prior to the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a recent spike in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative stated to press agencies.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through requests to remove state employment quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of others, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader authenticated by media examinations during the current year indicated she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those who died in the demonstrations informed press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

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

After her departure, an interim government led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the election.

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

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

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

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her former home minister and police chief.

While the sentence grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to media outlets. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not resolution for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he said.