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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for atrocities stemming from her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted all charges, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had called for severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, Hasina said the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security prior to the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed news organizations.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 began with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by external reviews during the current year suggested she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, family members of those killed during the protests informed 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 misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the ballot.

This decision presents a international dilemma for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; which is why I am disappointed," he stated further.

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.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

While the sentence grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this state."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not closure for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We assist numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.