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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her crackdown on student-led protests which resulted in her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom died during the disturbances last year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had demanded strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, Hasina said the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards before the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and celebrating as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a notable rise in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the police spokesperson told media outlets.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through calls to eliminate state employment quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by investigative sources earlier this year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those who died in the demonstrations informed press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for both nations. Authorities have sought her repatriation but to date India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disheartened," he stated further.

Last week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

Even though the verdict offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "The leader and her faction has apologised or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this state."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not resolution for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.