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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity due to her severe measures on protests led by students which caused her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the turmoil last year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

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

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had requested tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards before the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a notable rise in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the authorities' representative told press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year commenced through demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of further participants, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews earlier this year implied she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those killed during the protests stated to news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused 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".

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned last month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the ballot.

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

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disheartened," he continued.

Last week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the Awami League has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this country."

The activist added that the sentence was not resolution for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We assist numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.