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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for human rights violations over her crackdown on student-led protests which caused her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, Hasina said the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards prior to the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and celebrating as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

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

The youth-driven revolt last year commenced through demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of others, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by external reviews during the current year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those killed during the protests informed media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the vote.

This decision presents a international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but to date India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

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

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

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

Even though the verdict offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to news organizations. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this nation."

The activist added that the penalty was not finality for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

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