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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for human rights violations due to her severe measures on protests led by students which led to her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom died during the turmoil in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had requested strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

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

The city has seen a sudden increase in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative stated to media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader authenticated by media examinations in previous months implied she had sanctioned 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 who died in the demonstrations stated to press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

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

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

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

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am sad," he continued.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not finality for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

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

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with the former leader and the former hierarchy," he stated.