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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for human rights violations due to her crackdown on youth demonstrations which resulted in her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the unrest last year.

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

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her government's record on human rights.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection before the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative told media outlets.

The student-led uprising during 2024 commenced through requests to remove government job quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of further participants, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by investigative sources in previous months indicated she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those killed during the protests stated to news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

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

After her departure, an caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the ballot.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Authorities have sought her extradition but until now India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disappointed," he stated further.

Recently, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her former home minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this nation."

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

"We support multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Hasina and the old leadership," he said.