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

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the disturbances last year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had requested strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection ahead of the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative informed news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners 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 certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources in previous months suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest told media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is set for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but to date India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

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

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction 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 country's political divisions.

"The anger against Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this nation."

The activist added that the punishment was not closure for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.