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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity stemming from her severe measures on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the unrest in the previous 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 the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and injured had demanded tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was proud of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and applauding as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson stated to media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year commenced through calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by media examinations in previous months indicated she had authorized 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 news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration led by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned last month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the election.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

The previous week, 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 in conjunction with her former home minister and security forces head.

While the sentence offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist 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 most citizens in this nation."

The activist added that the penalty was not resolution for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.