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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for human rights violations stemming from her crackdown on protests led by students which caused her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the unrest during 2024.

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

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had called for severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

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

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security prior to the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and celebrating as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the police spokesperson stated to media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt last year commenced through demands to abolish government job quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews earlier this year indicated she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest told press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Following her removal, an interim government under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the election.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her return but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; that's why I am disappointed," he continued.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not finality for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.