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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity due to her harsh response on student-led protests which led to her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the turmoil during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had demanded strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a sudden increase in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the police spokesperson told press agencies.

The student-led uprising in the previous year began with requests to remove government job quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader authenticated by investigative sources during the current year suggested she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest informed news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the vote.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for both nations. Authorities have sought her repatriation but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

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

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried 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 anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital told news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

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

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

"We support multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he stated.