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

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the unrest last year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had requested strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the death penalty was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a recent spike in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the authorities' representative told press agencies.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year began with requests to remove government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by media examinations during the current year implied she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, kin of those who died in the demonstrations told media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

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

She alerted last month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

This decision presents a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her repatriation but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disheartened," he stated further.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not closure for the families of those killed and injured.

"We work with multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he stated.