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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity stemming from her harsh response on student-led protests 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 disturbances in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the police spokesperson informed news organizations.

The student-led uprising during 2024 started with demands to abolish government job quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews during the current year indicated she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, family members of those killed during the protests informed news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

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

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has shown no willingness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; which is why I am sad," he stated further.

The previous week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

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

Although the punishment offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital told media outlets. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret 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 nation."

The activist added that the punishment was not resolution for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We support several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.