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

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the unrest last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had requested severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on human rights.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards prior to the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a recent spike in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the police spokesperson informed media outlets.

The student-led uprising last year started with demands to abolish government job quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by investigative sources earlier this year implied she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those killed during the protests told news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

After her departure, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the election.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disappointed," he stated further.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

While the sentence offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital informed press agencies. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this state."

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

"We assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, 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 particularly hard" for her party to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he expressed.