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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her harsh response on protests led by students which led to her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, 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 Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted all charges, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Responding to the decision 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 individual freedoms.

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

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the authorities' representative informed press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt last year started with demands to abolish state employment quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of others, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

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

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the election.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am sad," he added.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her former home minister and police chief.

While the sentence offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this country."

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

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

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.