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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity stemming from her harsh response on student-led protests which resulted in her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the turmoil last year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Families of those killed and injured had requested tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards prior to the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson informed press agencies.

The student-led uprising during 2024 commenced through calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of others, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader verified by external reviews during the current year implied she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those who died in the demonstrations told news agencies 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 "committed acts of vengeance 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 "executed before the election".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; 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 significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her former home minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the Awami League has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not finality for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We support several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.