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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for atrocities due to her crackdown on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

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

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted 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 long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and harmed had requested severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, Hasina said the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection before the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and applauding as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson informed media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year started with requests to remove state employment quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of others, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources during the current year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

After her departure, an temporary leadership led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but to date India has shown no willingness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am sad," he continued.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not closure for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he stated.