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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity over her crackdown on student-led protests which led to her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom were killed during the turmoil last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the special international tribunal 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 numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and wounded had called for tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, she expressed the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the authorities' representative stated to news organizations.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 began with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews in previous months indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

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

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

After her departure, an interim government led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disappointed," he stated further.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

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

While the sentence provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not finality for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.