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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for atrocities due to her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the unrest in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted all charges, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on human rights.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque told press agencies.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through calls to eliminate government job quotas but evolved 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 report documented the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of others, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader confirmed by investigative sources in previous months suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations stated to media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the ballot.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

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

Recently, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and judicial process problems 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 have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

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

The activist added that the sentence was not closure for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We support several people who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.