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

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the disturbances during 2024.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and wounded had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her leadership's history 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 tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards prior to the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official Jisanul Haque informed news organizations.

The student-led uprising during 2024 commenced through calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by media examinations in previous months suggested she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, kin of those killed during the protests informed press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned last month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the ballot.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but so far India has shown no willingness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

While the sentence grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The anger against the former leader and the Awami League has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not finality for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We support several people who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.