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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity stemming from her harsh response on protests led by students which led to her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the disturbances last year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had requested strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the police spokesperson told media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt last year commenced through requests to remove public sector reservation policies but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews earlier this year suggested she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

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

After her departure, an interim government headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, Hasina's political 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, millions would boycott the ballot.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her extradition but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disappointed," he continued.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told news organizations. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not resolution for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We support several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing 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 standard element of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.